A pivotal moment in US history

I know, every blog in the US is talking about the election just completed. So be it.

While parts of John McCain's campaign upset me, his concession speech was one of the most gracious and positive speeches I've heard in some time; if his campaign had reflected this speech the result would have been much closer.

It was a clean election, in regard to the vote. No hanging chads, no voting machine problems in strongly Democratic precincts, clean, clear, unequivocal. This election did not hang on a series of unfortunate events throwing it one way rather than another.

African-American. Generally, when we think of African-American, we think of descendants of slaves, not someone who's father was Kenyan by birth; Barack Obama, far from being the traditional African-American, appears to have a cosmopolitan background that should be envied by all, which should give him the least parochial, provincial outlook of anyone who has served as President within my lifetime, if not since the founding of this country.

The first time I heard of Sen. Obama was when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, and my reaction at that time was that I'd be much happier voting for him than any of the candidates involved in that election. That was the same election I really wished McCain was the Republican nominee, as I preferred him to Bush and the Democratic candidates. That in four years he went from being a Chicago Senator in the Illinois Legislature to first being a US Senator from Illinois to now being the President-Elect from "The Land of Lincoln" is an incredible accomplishment.

Having paused to listen to Sen. Obama's acceptance speech, I remain impressed by this man, and hope that his, and Sen. McCain's, sentiments bear healthful fruit.

One thing I should note: Sen. Obama is a punk kid, nine months younger than I am, and we overlap our Chicago residency by a couple of years, his commencing in 1991, and my leaving to return home to Oregon in 1994. Mind, I never heard of him prior to the 2004 speech, but what the hey. And the entire time they were panning the camera around in Grant Park I was watching to see if anyone I knew showed up. Given 14 years since I moved back from Chicago, I'm not surprised that I didn't recognize anyone, but it was nice seeing pictures from my old stomping grounds.

Anyway, this is enough for now.

Post this Puppy!