As the Beatles once sang, "things are getting better all the time..."
CHICAGO - President-elect Barack Obama will roll out his national security team at a news conference here on Monday morning, including his former primary rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, as his secretary of state, Democrats close to the process said.
Mrs. Clinton is flying to Chicago to appear beside the man who beat her for the Democratic nomination, a person close to Clinton said. Friends previously said she was prepared to join his cabinet in hopes of having more impact than she would in the Senate, but the person close to her said the decision is now official.
This is interesting: Ocean-currents-can-power-the-world-say-scientists.html I am wondering how much land it would take to power California? Can you imagine an almost free source of electricity? Although people would still make stupid things with it!
I like the idea of a video weekly address format with Obama. This alone leaves me feeling so optimistic as clarity and communication is just what we will need to get out of the past eight polarized years!
...the equivalent (in Ice) of all USA states, east of the Mississippi has mlted near Greenland...
An interesting point to note is the film clip was made just before the election. (You can hear how desperate Gore sounds in his voice!) Out of the four potential candidates he mentions at this time, only three had initiatives for the environment. I am guessing the one who did not was governor Palin.
How funny, Governor Palin attacking pajama bloggers like myself? This inspires me to blog more...
The Times on-line: Palin: "Those bloggers in their pajamas sittin' in their parents' basements, just writin' garbage."
As I am a blogger, I will allow myself to finish with the last word on this blog. I believe many bloggers out there can help to connect the dots and inspire (help to occasionally force) mainstream journalism to explore and think deeper. I believe many investigative bloggers analyze with extra care and attention and provide additional perspectives that can equal or be above-equal to mainstream media reports. At the very least, they can also be entertaining as I hope this one can be at times ;)
I am SO glad and extremely RELIEVED (not only for the US but hopeful for the world) that Obama was elected!!! What a stress relief!!! Barack Hussein Obama!!! Yes!!!
As a fair blogger I acknowledge Jonn McCain's dignified concession speech. I was pleased (in principle) he had chosen a woman as VP to represent the republican party but I do not think Sarah Palin was the right choice of government for a whole list of reasons. Governor Palin did not, for one, support pro-choice in abortion, which means if you happen to be a woman who has been raped and /or are having a difficult pregnancy that is going to kill you, then your options are going to be "too bad"... (?) (This sounds like the middle ages to me ...ghastly!). To me Sarah Palin represents a typical stereotype image of a woman living in a mans world. I felt uncomfortable listening to her. However, now the election has been concluded, I am grateful because maybe she helped divide the republicans (a war cheer leading group of mostly white angry men) and her image for power may help inspire other women (I hope the non stereo typical women) to run for office. I have high hopes a woman VP or P candidate will happen again, just as I had high hopes change would be possible with American's overwhelmingly voting Barack Hussein Obama!!!! Yeaaaah!! This choice alone leaves me hopeful and optimistic. I hope Obama chooses a cabinate with a good proportion of the yin and yang. I believe he will. Anyway, this video is quite well made (given the short time) and I thought I would post it for some fun relief after this election!
From N.Y. Times: PARIS — In the general European euphoria over the election of Barack Obama, there is the beginning of self-reflection about Europe’s own troubles with racial integration. Many are asking if there could be a French, British, German or Italian Obama, and everyone knows the answer is no, not anytime soon.
In a suburb of Paris, people watched election returns from the United States last week. In Rome, a poster from the Italian Democratic Party said, “The World Changes.” The only black member of the Italian Parliament saw the Obama victory as a “provocation” to Europeans. It is risky to make racial comparisons between America and Europe, given all the historical and cultural differences. But race had long been one reason that Europeans, harking back to the days when famous American blacks like Josephine Baker and James Baldwin found solace in France, looked down on the United States, even as Europe developed postcolonial racial problems of its own.
“They always said, ‘You think race relations are bad here in France, check out the U.S.,’ ” said Mohamed Hamidi, former editor of the Bondy Blog, founded after the 2005 riots in the heavily immigrant suburbs of Paris.
It is exactly one week ago today it was announced Obama was elected and I am still shedding tears each time I hear news stories of what has just happened this November 4th 2008. Living in the USA this week has been amazing!!!!!
Hello, Chicago.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.
We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. Video Watch Obama's speech in its entirety »
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.
Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.
It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
This is your victory.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For 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.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.
There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
I promise you, we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.
This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.
It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.
Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.
In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those -- 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.
That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.
And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. advertisement
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
It is interesting to me to observe how information technology advances during important events. I can now embed every speech made on the campaign trail and find out when they occurred in one blog post:
Wow! Obama even got Virginia! - here is the video link!
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia hopes for constructive talks with the next U.S. administration on Washington's planned missile defense system in Europe, Russian media quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Sunday. A Russian deputy foreign minister said separately, in an interview with Interfax news agency, that Moscow would not carry out a threat to deploy tactical missiles near Poland if Washington scrapped its plans to deploy its missile system in Europe.
(I may have to change the title of this blog Intuition tells me people are going mad if the good news continues ;) Maybe I could rename it to something like: Intuition tells me people contract and expand as we do breath... we have good days and bad days... we have had eight very bad years and it is time to repair the Bush damage which will unfortunately take decades... we all need to get on board and help fix the damage URGENTLY and NOW is our time!
Barack Obama's election on Tuesday set off international celebrations and ignited a fervor for the United States that has been unseen since the days immediately following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
To some observers, the international reaction has elevated America's president-elect to an unparalleled post: president of the world.
In Kenya, where Obama's father was born, a national holiday was declared on Thursday. In Indonesia, children danced at the school Obama attended when he was a young boy, embracing him as much for what he represents abroad as for the policies he advocates at home.
"People from all over Africa, especially in Kenya, where this is a holiday, are feeling that the most powerful person in the world does not have to be a white guy. That's a huge breakthrough for the United States and for humanity," said Walter Russell Mead, the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.
"This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten," Rama Yade, France's junior minister for human rights, told French radio. "On this morning, we all want to be American, so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes."
America's popularity abroad waned dramatically during the Bush administration, and some voters expressed hopes that in electing Obama, they could restore the country's image. The wave of good feelings since Tuesday night suggests that even before taking office, Obama has made substantial inroads.
"This may be the beginning of a new world. It marks the end of old elites and opens the door for new approaches worldwide," an Israeli man in his mid-50s said in Tel Aviv.
Foreign observers, who paid rapt attention during the long election season, are taking a personal stake in the outcome of a vote a world away. Expectations are high for the 47-year-old Obama, who will take over on January 20 amid a financial collapse and who will preside over two wars on his first day in office.
"The standing of everybody in the world is going to be affected by what President Obama does or doesn't do," said Mead, noting that all eyes will be looking to the new president for a way out of the global financial crisis.
In the Muslim world, the response has been mixed. A journalist with a pan-Arab news channel told FOX News that on election night, workers were going around the newsroom congratulating each other, as if Obama were their president-elect.
Iraqis have expressed skepticism that any rapid changes will come as a result of the election, but many see their fates ineluctably tied to Obama's foreign policy. "By God, the new American President Obama has promised to pull the troops out. This is in the best interest of the Iraqi people," said one Baghdadi.
Arab heads of state have been more circumspect, waiting to see whether Obama's Mideast policy will depart significantly from that of the Bush administration, and some newspapers in the Arab world have openly announced their distrust of the president-elect.
"There is no significant difference between Obama and McCain. They disagree only on the means to achieve America's chief goal, which is to rule for another hundred years," said an editorial in the Saudi daily Al-Watan, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors the Arab press.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama Thursday for his win -- the first time an Iranian leader has welcomed an incoming president since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. And some Iranians, speaking to FOX News, said they were excited by the prospect of the coming administration.
"I want to congratulate you on Barack Obama's victory that really turned a new chapter in the world's history -- that an African-American man, decent and intelligent, became president of the world," one Iranian said.
"This was done in America. Your nation has the credit for it."
Not all observers expect this world embrace to be long-lasting. "I think overseas, as at home, opinion over the longer term will depend on what he actually does," said John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Obama was issued an early challenge Wednesday, as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the deployment of short-range missiles near his country's border with Poland.
"Those who have issues with us are certainly not giving him a honeymoon," Bolton said of Russia's action, which may have been intended to send a cold word of welcome to Obama and to test his resolve.
Russian citizens, too, have been wary in their evaluation of the next president.
"I don't think he can really become the world political leader," said Tatyana Solomonova, a real estate agent in Moscow. "The fact that he's black can be an obstacle -- there's still a lot of racism in the world, in Europe and Russia too. I think he can take a leading role in the Western hemisphere, but not in this part of the world."
In Moscow Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has a history of controversial remarks, was asked by a reporter about the prospect for U.S.-Russian relations after Berlusconi met with Medvedev.
Berlusconi responded by saying that the relative youth of Medvedev, 43, and Obama should make it easier for Moscow and Washington to work together.
Then he said, smiling: "I told the president that [Obama] has everything needed in order to reach deals with him: he's young, handsome and even tanned."
Italian news agencies said Berlusconi later defended his remark, calling the statement "a great compliment."
"Why are they taking it as something negative? ... If they have the vice of not having a sense of humor, worse for them," the ANSA news agency quoted him as saying.
But Italy's only black lawmaker, Jean-Leonard Touadi, called the comment embarrassing.
"In the United States, a joke like that wouldn't just be politically incorrect, but a great offense to this amazing example of integration, which it seems the Italian premier should take as an example," Touadi said.
For good or ill, all eyes are now on Obama.
"Not everybody is going to get what they want, but this is a moment of hope," said Mead, who added that Obama was sure to fall short of some expectations.
"If you look at Jesus Christ, he walked on water and fed the 5,000 and he ended up getting crucified, so I think it's not unlikely that President-elect Obama is gonna disappoint some people also."
FOX News' Dasha Bond, Courtney Kealy, Reena Ninan and Amy Kellogg contributed to this report.
Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.
ABDULLAH GUL, TURKISH PRESIDENT "Indeed, you have been elected to lead your great nation at a time when the world is being tested politically and economically. Yet although these may be difficult times, we believe that they are also times for creating new opportunities that will bring about a brighter future for mankind. Your message of change and hope is one that meets the expectations of our day. It is a message that Turkey embraces," Gul said in a congratulatory letter he sent to Obama.
"Our partnership not only serves the best interests of our two countries, but also has particular importance as it contributes significantly to the preservation of peace, stability and security in a wide geography which includes the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans, Central Asia and beyond. In this regard, I would like to reiterate our firm commitment to further enhancing our strategic partnership and cooperation with the United States, particularly in our common fight against terrorism, as well as to the promotion and dissemination of our shared values and culture of peace in our region and at the global level."
TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRIME MINISTER "With this result, now we can say there is no longer a problem of black and white in the United States... I congratulate Obama and his team for their energy throughout the campaign process."
NICOLAS SARKOZY, FRENCH PRESIDENT "With the world in turmoil and doubt, the American people, faithful to the values that have always defined America's identity, have expressed with force their faith in progress and the future. At a time when we must face huge challenges together, your election has raised enormous hope in France, in Europe and beyond."
HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT "I applaud the American people for their great decision and I hope that this new administration in the United States of America, and the fact of the massive show of concern for human beings and lack of interest in race and color while electing the president, will go a long way in bringing the same values to the rest of world sooner or later."
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER "Barack Obama ran an inspirational campaign, energizing politics with his progressive values and his vision for the future. I know Barack Obama and we share many values. We both have determination to show that government can act to help people fairly through these difficult times facing the global economy."
MWAI KIBAKI, KENYAN PRESIDENT "We the Kenyan people are immensely proud of your Kenyan roots. Your victory is not only an inspiration to millions of people all over the world, but it has special resonance with us here in Kenya."
JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT "We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world. I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal. For the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world."
HU JINTAO, CHINESE PRESIDENT "The Chinese Government and I myself have always attached great importance to China-U.S. relations. In the new historic era, I look forward to working together with you to continuously strengthen dialogue and exchanges between our two countries."
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR "I offer you my heartfelt congratulations on your historic victory in the presidential election. "The world faces significant challenges at the start of your term. I am convinced that Europe and the United States will work closely and in a spirit of mutual trust together to confront new dangers and risks and will seize the opportunities presented by our global world."
TARO ASO, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER "The Japan-U.S. alliance is key to Japanese diplomacy and it is the foundation for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. With President-elect Obama, I will strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance further and work towards resolving global issues such as the world economy, terror and the environment."
KGALEMA MOTLANTHE, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT "Africa, which today stands proud of your achievements, can only but look forward to a fruitful working relationship with you both at a bilateral and multilateral levels in our endeavor to create a better world for all who live in it."
STEPHEN HARPER, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER "I look forward to meeting with the President-elect so that we can continue to strengthen the special bond that exists between Canada and the United States."
KEVIN RUDD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER "Senator Obama's message of hope is not just for America's future, it is also a message of hope for the world as well. A world which is now in many respects fearful for its future."
HELEN CLARK, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER "Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis and global warming. We look forward to working closely with President-elect Obama and his team to address these challenges."
SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO, INDONESIAN PRESIDENT Indonesia especially hopes that the U.S., under new leadership, will stand in the front and take real action to overcome the global financial crisis, especially since the crisis was triggered by the financial conditions in the U.S."
GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT "We welcome his triumph in the same vein that we place the integrity of the US electoral process and the choices made by the American people in high regard. We likewise note the making of history with the election of Senator Obama as the first African-American president of the United States."
ALI AGHAMOHAMMADI, CLOSE AIDE TO IRAN'S MOST POWEFUL FIGURE AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI "The president-elect has promised changes in policies. There is a capacity for the improvement of ties between America and Iran if Obama pursues his campaign promises, including not confronting other countries as Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also concentrating on America's state matters and removing the American people's concerns."
SAEB EREKAT, AIDE TO PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS "We hope the president-elect in the United States will stay the course and would continue the U.S. engagement in the peace process without delay. We hope the two-state vision would be transferred from a vision to a realistic track immediately."
Bruce Springsteen: “I want my dream back.
I want my America back. Now is the time to stand
with Barack Obama and Joe Biden and roll up our
sleeves and come on up for the rising.”
In 2000, the entire election came down to a small number of votes in one county in Florida.
Four years later, we came up short by an average of nine voters per precinct in Ohio.
A small change in voter turnout would have made all the difference. Take it from me, elections matter. And this time, supporters like you can make it happen.
I know this might not be possible for everyone, but I'm asking you to consider volunteering anytime between now and Election Day -- Tuesday, November 4th.
With so much at stake this year, we can't miss any opportunity to get more voters to the polls -- and make sure their votes are counted.
Sarah Palin got pranked at the weekend. It is confirmed and I did not think it was necessarily funny. What I did find startling and unbelievable was to see how Palin had no idea this was a prank call. The McCainPalin campaign had four days to set up this telephone call and got it completely wrong. Can you imagine them dealing with National security ?
Comody desparation:
John MacCain appeared on Saturday Night Live with Tina Fey (the Sarah Palin double) to try to make people laugh. I do not find any of this funny and it made me cringe as there is just so much at stake in this election. Even if it was my favorite politician going up, I would not want to see them on Saturday Night live, especially as an act of desperation to try and gets youth votes. It comes across to me as pathetic!
Dirty tricks:
I knew the McCain campaign would go for every dirty trick in the book so I was not surprised to find three days before the election they go for a leak that exposes files from a distant relative of Obama, his half auntie, whose case for asylum was not granted in 2004. Where she comes from in Kenya about 1500 have been killed and although her case has to be dealt with "all appropriate laws be followed" as stated by Barak Obama, this case has been used repeatedly to try and smear a clean and spectacular Obama campaign. The disclosure may have violated federal privacy laws according to sources such as ABC news and even Fox News has had to write a story about a probe on whether disclosure of Obama's aunt's status was legal. At this point we do not know who disclosed this information but it seems suspicious. Whatever the outcome, this case will be dealt with outside the law.
The BBC states "Residing in the US in violation of immigration law is not a criminal offence and such cases are therefore handled outside the criminal court system."
Whatever the outcome I think undecided voters are going to suspicious of last minute story like this one. I believe Obama will win on Tuesday although it could be a rough ride if voting machines don't work properly or if there is confusion on the day (as in 2000 with the thousands of black disenfranchised voters reported by the BBC in 2001)
Voting machines (my biggest fear)
In the 2000 elections in the swing state Florida, hundreds of people accidentally voted for Buchanan due to badly printed voting forms and old machines that punch holes. Apparently all these void ballots which caused a public outcry by hundreds of voters helped Bush W gain the extra 541 votes. Indeed the polls in 2000 were close (3% error) around 51/50 leaning towards Bush making it a draw and it certainly was that way in 2000 except there was not recount to know the results. Today the polls are 52/41 leaning towards Obama (making him at least 10 points ahead in the worse case scenario). I feel more optimistic but the outcome is not in the bag and we are still placing our trust into those voting machines. We should watch very carefully what is happening. There have been record breaking numbers of people voting early, as they do not want a repeat of 2000. Many of these early voters are African Americans who in the past may not have found it important enough to ask for time off work to vote, but this time they are determined to get their votes counted and starting early. This is going to be a very important election as the future is in desperate for direction. I believe Obama has what it takes to start turning things around but unfortunately will face enormous challenges as we have been steered in the wrong direction for too long.
The Future is no joke .
Energy independence is top of the OBAMA list. This next section is a from postcarbon.org:
The Financial Times has leaked the results of the International Energy Agency's long-awaited study of the depletion profiles of the world's 400 largest oilfields, indicating that,
"Without extra investment to raise production, the natural annual rate of output decline is 9.1 per cent."
This is a stunning figure.Considering regular crude oil only, this means that 6.825 million barrels a day of new production capacity must come on line each year just to keep up with the aggregate natural decline rate in existing oilfields. That's a new Saudi Arabia every 18 months.The Financial Times story goes on:
"The findings suggest the world will struggle to produce enough oil to make up for steep declines in existing fields, such as those in the North Sea, Russia and Alaska, and meet long-term demand."
The effort will become even more acute as [oil] prices fall and investment decisions are delayed.This is putting it mildly. Investment capital is being vaporized almost daily in a global deflationary bonfire of unprecedented ferocity. Oil production projects are being mothballed left and right.Inter alia, the IEA takes the requisite swat at "peak oil theorists," who, the agency somehow still believes, are saying that the world is "running out of oil." Of course that's NOT what peak oil theorists say, but a correct summation of their position would have to be followed with a statement to the effect that, "Our research supports their position," which would be just too embarrassing.Sadly, the IEA feels it must pull its punch even further. With adequate investment in new small oilfields and unconventional sources like tarsands, it insists, the world can still achieve higher levels of production. In other words, if the $12 trillion that vanished from the world stock markets last week were invested in new tarsands projects, then theoretically a few more years of total oil production growth could be eked out (not growth in net energy production, mind you, but in the gross—and I do mean gross—production of exotic, very expensive stuff that it's physically possible to run your car on, assuming you could afford to do so).Of course, any realistic assessment either of the likelihood of that level of investment appearing, or of the ability of new projects to really produce a sufficient rate of flow regardless of the size of the cash infusion, would end merely in a hearty belly-laugh.Evidently peeved about being scooped on its planned November 12 press conference roll-out of the study, the IEA has disavowed the Financial Times story. But if nine percent is even close to being the final figure, then it's absolutely clear: July 2008 was the all-time peak in world oil production. Don't expect anyone at the IEA to officially admit that fact until 2025 or so. But among those who pay attention to the evidence and the terms of the debate, further ink need not be spilled in speculation.Peak oil is history.
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CHICAGO - President-elect Barack Obama will roll out his national security team at a news conference here on Monday morning, including his former primary rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, as his secretary of state, Democrats close to the process said.
