Yes We Can and Yes We Did

I'm thrilled, just thrilled.

"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."

Yesterday I was optimistic but a little anxious; today, I'm glowing.

"[R]eaffirm 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."

McCain was gracious in his concession speech; his audience, alas, was not.

"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."

Obama's acceptance speech inspired me. Hope is alive in America. The coming days will be hard and will present Obama with many challenges. But I am confident that he will handle them as calmly and as gracefully as he operated his campaign. I don't expect to agree with him on everything, but I am confident that he will be thoughtful and trust that he will make wise decisions.

"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."

(All quotes come from this transcript of Obama's acceptance speech.)

On a more frustrating note, although the New York Times is still saying California's Prop 8 is too close to call, it saddens me that it's still possible to so easily swipe civil rights from American citizens. It's a slap in the face to human dignity.