YES WE CAN!

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today."

Martin Luther-King Jr. 1963

Bleary-eyed, I went to work on Wednesday, full of hope. I had stayed up to watch the results in the American Presidential election and was almost walking on air.

I had always been a huge fan of Hilary Clinton, and loved the idea of a woman being President, but after her support for the war in Iraq, I could not support her Presidential bid.

Barack Obama first came to my attention in 2004, when he gave his famous speech at the Democratic National Convention. I've read his books and have a huge amount of respect for him - did you know that he got 70% of the vote when he was elected to the US Senate in 2004?

I have followed the race for the White House with real interest, but never let myself believe that Obama could do it. I was so disappointed in 2004 when John Kerry was unsuccessful and I didn't want to feel that way again, so did not let myself get too excited when the polls were showing his lead. I can't believe that America achieved so much in just one evening.

A friend joked that with the election of Obama, America "could be welcomed back into polite society", and whilst a little extreme; I can't help but think that alongside working on the economy when he is inaugurated on January 22nd, President Obama is going to have to put some work into relationships with other nations.

The last word on this subject for a while must be reserved for another friend, Dipesh, whose Facebook status revealed his healthy political cynicism:

"Dipesh thinks having a new president is like falling in love or having children. There may be an initial high, but it's downhill all the way from today."