Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Obama-mania? The world awaits

Voting day here in the U.S., finally, after two full years of a loud and incessant campaign. An eerie calm, almost, as voters and networks - in fact the world - wait for the polls to close, and the madness to begin.

Democrat Barack Obama looks on course to capture the presidency, given his slight leads in a number of important swing states, from Ohio to Virginia to Colorado. But you never know; in the last election, John Kerry was said to be leading by countless exit polls, until he wasn't. And we all know the outcome of that.

We'll see if America is ready to leap into a multicultural future, with someone whose formative years were partially spent in Indonesia. (A sad footnote: His beloved grandmother died just yesterday in Hawaii, unable to hang on until the election.) Who knows how that long-ago experience in Jakarta will affect Obama's vision and his presidency, should that come to pass. But certainly a global outlook, and his innate understanding of America from both the inside and the outside, will be a vast improvement over what we've had the last eight years. And so, we cross our fingers, and wait.

Today's Top Stories

Security stepped up for Indonesian prez
Prince Charles and the Sultan, BFFs
China & Indonesia get cozy

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