2008 Elections & the American Dream

Last night was one of my proudest moments as an American. I would like to hope that I would have felt that way regardless of my political leanings.

First, aren't we all grateful that we knew the results by 9:30 (central time) instead of the end of December. I am not sure we could have stood another prolonged election. And this is going to make the transition so much better.

One of my favorite things I heard last night, and there were several similar comments from different correspondents, that people overseas could hardly believe that the same country that could elect George Bush 8 years ago, could elect Barack Obama this year. (Oh. no, I am going to have to learn to spell his name.) Don't you just love America? I think that whether you supported him or not, we all were in a place where we needed to be reminded that the American dream was still alive. Isn't it powerful, that while it maybe not be exactly our unique version of the dream, we saw it in action last night? And we saw it on the faces in the crowd that for the first time, many people could finally believe in their own version of the dream. And the world said, maybe there is something to this democracy stuff.

As I listened to President-elect Obama speak, and I have to admit that I enjoy hearing him speak, I started thinking about how this election validated so many lives and deaths. Have you been to Arlington National Cemetery? Of every thing you learn during the tour, the facts that stayed with me the most is that we lost more men during the civil war than all the other wars we have taken part in. It broke my heart. What we lost in that war. And now we have told the world what we learned, and now we can all say that those lives were not given in vain. Nor was the deaths of Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King or the men and women of all colors who stood or sat for what was right in the 60's.

If Obama wasn't your choice, I hope you will give him a chance. If you didn't have a chance to listen to his speech, it is available on the web in both print or video.

Hope is better than fear