obama nation

[DanaC]

*nods*

I watched it again on youtube today. He said exactly what America and the world have been waiting to hear I think; unity, hope and strength.

Everyone's talking about it here. I cannot tell you how much this elevates your nation in our eyes. I had my ICQ running whilst I was studying last night, with the TV on as well. A good friend and ex-neighbour of mine was messaging me, just awestruck that you'd done it. The nervousness of the first polls closing, and the ardent hope was absolutely shared by people all over the world. My friend, a northern lad not much given to sentimentality, told me he had tears streaming down his face as we realised it was going to be an Obama victory on the night.

As a sidebar to this: the subject of my research last night was an 18th century journal, written by the wife of a naval officer who accompanied him on his travels. In one entry she describes them going aboard a slave carrying ship. There had been an outbreak of disease, with the captain, some crew and slaves affected. In order to stop the spread of the disease, the sick slaves were thrown overboard.

I read her description (she describes it as an inhuman act) of this event, one hour before I saw the son of a black man, married to a descendant of both slaves and slave owners, address the American nation, and the world, as President Elect of the USA.

Bloody hell. Just bloody hell.