This is the end of the line... all change, please

So: the country has farewelled the 43rd president with nary a backward glance, and welcomed the 44th with open arms, beaming smiles, and not a few tears. Of course, I'm not telling anyone anything new; I think the moment that occurred on Tuesday, 20th January 2009, around 12.05pm, Eastern Standard Time, was among the most watched in recent history (and in fact, for some proof of this, see this fabulous series of photographs from all over the world... and these are excellent too).

Unable to get to the steps of the Capitol, we celebrated at work in our own way: the ceremony projected onto a big screen, lots of red, white and blue, and cake! (See if you can guess which of the photos below was not taken by me...)











God Bless America!!

Yes we can

Thank you, God.


(To see Obama's election night speech in full, click here).

"He's not the Messiah..."

You cannot move here without seeing something to do with the election - lawn signs, bumper stickers, badges... At the start of the race I was reasonably disengaged; I wanted a Democrat victory, but didn't feel all that emotionally charged about it. Well, that couldn't be more untrue of the way I feel right now; I don't think it's overstating the matter to say that the election of Obama seems like the only possibility this country has of moving forward; it's not that McCain is a bad person (I'm keeping a diplomatic silence on his sidekick), it's that he's out of touch, on almost every major issue there is. And it's not that Obama is the Messiah, it's that he's capable of inspiring people: the downtrodden, the disenfranchised, those who have always felt not-at-home in the country of their birth, for whatever reason. (For just one example of this, read this article). And of course, his keen mind, sound policies, compassionate nature, and way with words don't hurt at all!

So, we wait with bated breath for tomorrow's results... it's so strange that the result of this election is not a foregone conclusion; if it was being held in almost any other country in the world, it would be.



(I know the graph above is a bit old, but it's the only one I could find. The results are still pretty much the same).