Mission Accomplished

I'm almost speechless by the events of the last 5-7 hours. I started off with some friends watching election results come in, and I wasn't feeling good about anything. I really didn't believe that our country was ready for a non-white president. I thought we were long, long overdue, but I didn't think we could do it yet.

That all changed when Ohio, my home state, went to Obama. That was when I realized that he had a chance to win.

And now, hours later, after walking home to the echo of car horns and people's triumphant screams, I'm just starting to realize what a life-changing event this was.

Now, I know there are a lot of McCain supporters out there (including 3/5 of my family) who may not be as enthusiastic about today's results as I am. I would challenge everyone, regardless of who you supported, to rise above the social, racial and economic differences highlighted by this campaign, and afford our president-elect the respect he has earned. Every election gives us the chance to start fresh, and throw out the divisions that have kept us from working together. I feel like with this president, we have a real opportunity to heal some of those divisions, but it's going to take people from both parties to make it happen.

John McCain gave a great concession speech, and I think that his supporters should learn from his example...White or Black, Young or Old, what we've seen happen today is a historic event, and one that will be brought up whenever the odds are long or the stakes seem too high in the coming years.

I'd bet that these next few years will be tough, and that today is probably the happiest day the Obama Administration will have for some time. But I can say without hesitation that it feels good to be an American citizen today, and I'm looking forward to the next 4 years with hope, optimism, and pride.