president obama

i am home with faith and mark quietly watching the events of this night unfold on tv. at 8pm the announcement snuck up on me as david gregory pronounced senator barack obama as the now president-elect. moments later i went to the fridge and popped open a cold, domestic beer. this is my little celebration and i am happy to report, it is an especially tasty beverage indeed.

what an historic night. obama has not been my perfect and preferred candidate by any stretch. he has been instead the most desireable of those i have considered electable. (i maintain hope the rest of the country will turn on to dennis kucinich in time for a future election.) but tonight is obama's night, and our night too, as americans.

we have much to be proud of. racism is not dead but it has been dealt a serious blow this night. the misdeeds of the bush administration are not suddenly gone but obama represents hope that our country will be put on the right path towards reconciling those things and restoring the meaning of america. the fact that this election was so energized, that record numbers turned out to vote, that record amounts of cash were spent in the primary right up through this night on the presidential race, congressional races and measures on state ballots all over the country, speaks volumes about the american people and their interest in getting informed and availing themselves of their role in a democratic society by voting.

i hoped for obama and i hope for obama. i hope he will live up to much of the trust and hope he represents. i hope he has the strength and courage to remain true to himself.

i prefer the picture of obama above. he appears quiet, humble and introspective: qualities i want to see in a president.

john mccain gave a classy speech of conciliation. barack obama just gave the best speech i have yet heard from him. ho told those who did not vote for him that he hears them and that he will be their president, too.

so this is among the tastiest of beers i have had, right up there with the one i drank alone the night terra was born when i came home around midnight after a long, full day at the hospital. it is satisfying to have hope restored.

to borrow from the president-elect, it seems the arc of history has been bent in the direction of hope. change has come to america.