It was exactly 10:00 PM here last night in Puerto Vallarta when the polls closed in CA, OR, and WA. At that moment, CNN, beamed into homes and restaurants and bars by satellite, announced Barrack Obama had garnered enough electoral votes to become President elect of the United States. The cheers here were literally loud and long. It is the way much of the world is looking at the transition about to take place in what had been the most respected country in the world.
Several articles this morning, including those in the New York Times and USA Today, reflect the worldwide hope that the President-elect will be able to begin the long process of mending the image of the United States ... an image that has been tarnished in recent years.
In USA Today, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Obama's election "has raised enormous hope in France, in Europe and beyond. France and Europe will find a new energy to work with America to achieve peace and world prosperity," Sarkozy said.
As the win brings hope for many, the election of Obama has only intensified bitterness and hatred among a few. CBS Radio this morning ran an interview with a McCain supporter in Phoenix saying Obama does not deserve to be President and should not be in the White House. "He is not my Commander in Chief and he never will be," she said. And Daniel Carver, a leader in the KKK, told Howard Stern this morning that Obama's election will likely lead to a great resurrection of the Klan to deal with the rising power of blacks.
While each election is historic, the importance often not realized until long after the elected President leaves office, the circumstances surrounding the election of Barrack Obama make this election truly unique right now, not just in the United States.
No matter how you voted, no matter your opinion of the outcome of the Presidential election, I think most would agree that today is a time for reflection on where this country has been, where we are now, and where we are heading.
Four years from now, or eight years from now, when Obama is set to leave office, the best we can hope for is being able to say we are better off, and the image of the US is better off than we are today at this truly historic moment in time.
