Although there were some tears at the president's election night gathering, Bush and his aides were composed, with Baker making light of Clinton's substantial margin of victory in the electoral college.

"It's real hell to lose these squeakers, isn't it?" asked Baker.

In Indianapolis, Dan Quayle urged supporters to "pull together now" behind Clinton. He only hinted at his own aspirations for the future.

"I have always stood up for what I believe in,and I will continue to stand up for what I believein," Quayle said.

Exit polls conducted by Voter Research andSurveys, a joint effort by television networks,showed 80 percent of voters rating the economypoor or not good.

A third of all voters surveyed said theirfinancial situation was worse today than fouryears ago, and 43 percent of all participantscited jobs and the economy as among the issuesthat mattered most to them.

Polls also showed Clinton out-drawing Bushamong critical demographic groups, includingwomen, independents, the young, the elderly andthose who didn't vote in 1988.

Election officials termed turnout very highacross the country.

Curtis Gans, a voter turnout expert, said thatthis year's figure eclipsed the 1984 record of92.6 million.

The figure reverses a 32-year trend ofdeclining voter turnouts. But Gans said the numberwas an anomaly because voter dissatisfaction washigh this year.

"The biggest reason is the recession and alittle bit of `Read my lips' and a little bitPerot," Gans said. "But there's nothing in theelection itself to say it is anything buttemporary."

Throughout the nation, long lines greetedvoters. At the Boston Public Library, voterswaited for 90 minutes in a line that snakedthrough the building.

In Minneapolis, voters waited in eight inchesof fresh fallen snow, and long lines inConnecticut and New York caused balloting tocontinue well after polls were scheduled to close