!!!

Tomorrow morning Chicago will wake up to it's biggest news ever, that is, if it sleeps at all tonight. Chicago's favorite boy, Barak Hussein Obama(BO) will have been declared USA's 44th President.

If I was Obama tonight, I would thank at least 2 Republicans. One, of course, Abraham Lincoln, the guy who laid grounds for a humane road to end slavery and two,George.W.Bush, who screwed up so bad, he helped create the biggest media movement ever against any incumbent President till date.

It would have been insane to even think just 7 years after 9/11 struck USA, that a Black man who's middle name would be Hussein would lead America someday. But that is America for you. More action, less blabber. Did you get it France? Don't just lecture others, make "affirmative action" work. This fairy tale journey of a son born to a Kenyan immigrant to become most powerful man in the world, could have possibly been scripted only in America.

From Martin Luther King to Mohammad Ali to Colin Powell to Condoleezza Rice to Barak Obama, it is only America that has given voice, platform and avenues to achieve greater and greater heights for these minority leaders. (I can't for my life think an equally important personality in entire Europe, the so called "Liberal" Mecca)

Obama Obama

The pictures coming out of Grant Park, Chicago are nothing short of spectacular. These pictures are saying loudly and clearly -Take that, World. Stop lecturing us. Set your own house in order if you have balls.

Obama has beaten an honorable man. And he beat him fair and square. Let us not take away anything from his well oiled and well managed campaign. This is a massive massive win for Democrats, who never forgot the "stolen election" of 2000. They have never forgiven Republicans for that. Today's massive win can only be sweet vindication of 8 years of relentless campaign.

This is clearly a watershed movement in America's life. A sustained campaign against Bush has finally come to it's fruitation. Obama was an idea who's time had come. And nothing explains it better than a huge, a huge surge in young voters coming out in unprecedented numbers. Obama had captured nation's imagination and more importantly tapped it's emotion. I have not seen what it was like to be in Reagan's America or Kennedy's America, but I can't imagine it being as electrifying as today.

If I was a numerologist, I would have looked at these figures. BO was born on *4th* of August, he assumed his first office as a senator on *4th* of January and he won the Presidential elections on *4th* of November, even as he is declared the *44th* President of USA. Interesting coincidence of number 4.

But beyond a doubt this is Obama's calling; this *is* America's calling.

What would the post-Election Obama look like? Will he move this country more towards Left with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid? Or will he take the Bill Clinton centrist path. More importantly how would this icy cool head, deal with enormous load of expectations. How will he deal with unpopular decisions? I am not sure. All I know for now is that, he is a smart guy with a grounded attitude. He is a good man for sure; whether he is the "right" man, only time will tell.

Presidential Election

This is such huge movement that it is easy to loose sight of the loosing candidate. I always thought that McCain was an honorable man, a war veteran with an impeccable integrity. I think he and his running mate got a raw deal from media. Specially Sarah Palin, a mother of 5 kids, one of whom will be deployed in Iraq and other a son with down syndrome. I thought she got the rap of her life on her knuckle. Some of the attacks on her were plain spiteful and tasteless. In the end they were not only running against Obama, but against a hugely unpopular incumbent President. In the end they could not beat Bush.

It's fair to say, this was a year for Democrats in the cycle of Elections and Obama was smart enough to sense that. And he hit the sweet spot with the American electorate. Truly a remarkable movement in history of the world. I am ending this post, even as Obama has started his speech at Grant Park.

Live well Sir!

*****

Post-Script : I could not come up with an appropriate title for this post. Should I have called it "Obama Wins" or "McCain Looses" or "Liberals Win" or "Conservatives Loose" ...
I think I should have called it "Bush Looses". But again, he was not running.. so I did not go with that..although I thought 'Bush Looses' came closest to what i was thinking, coz even though Bush Jr did not fight this election, he was looming large over it.

May be I should have called it America Wins... but I thought '!!!' said it all :)