In election's aftershock, the fault line goes straight down the
middle  Published: Monday, December 11, 2000  WASHINGTON {AP} --
The election produced divisions that have grown more cruelly
precise by the day, splitting the presidential race, Congress
and now the courts almost exactly in half.  Students of the
polarities in American politics are themselves divided about the
consequence of it all.  To some, the bisection is as benign as
it is remarkable. No great issues are involved, such as a civil
rights crusade or a decision to go to war, it is noted. What's
at stake in the contest may be nothing more than the contest
itself.  "This is more a disease of the political class than the
country," says Princeton University political scientist Fred
Greenstein, who nevertheless sees the potential for
"provocateurs" on both sides to make real trouble for all
classes.  Another view is that democracy's very weights and
measures are in doubt, risking loss of faith in a system people
have taken for granted, just as they