Something amazing has happened this month. A whole country has begun to hope again. The election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States seemed to answer many questions that the people in the US had about themselves, notably, could they trust themselves, after a dark history of slavery and oppression, to chose a black man as their next president? Could they launch themselves into the unknown and trust themselves to elect someone whose inexperience was jumped upon by the McCain campaign? Could they trust themselves to vote for someone who proclaimed a message of change and hope for America? Could they trust themselves to vote for someone who had more faith in them than, after eight years of a depressing Bush administration, they probably did in themselves? The answer, in line with the Obama campaign's slogan was "Yes we can!" They voted in their millions and chose hope.
I found the experience of watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech incredibly moving, not least because of the sight of Jesse jackson in the crowd with tears in his eyes.

Revd Jackson had of course been there right at the beginning of the civil rights movement in the 60s and attempted to be elected as president in the 80s. Now, he was witnessing history in the making. As Obama said in his victory speech, it was a long time coming, but change had arrived.
"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America."
As well as speaking about hope, what impressed me about Obama was that he was honest about the challenges ahead. He resisted the urge to gloat about the massive victory he'd had.
"even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century."
He also expressed his determination to confront those who would damage the world and support those who strive for peace. He reasoned that his optimisim was well-founded.
"To those who would tear the world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you.
And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
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