WASHINGTON - American voters broke with the nation’s history of racial divisions and overwhelmingly elected Barack Obama as the US’s first black president, turning to an inspiring young Democratic senator to lead a country weary from war, economic turmoil and eight years of Republican rule.
Obama, embracing a message of change, tore up the US political map as he defeated John McCain, the veteran Republican senator who struggled in vain to distance himself from George W. Bush’s presidency, which had grown as unpopular at home as it is abroad.
The election of Obama, the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas, marked a turning point for a nation haunted by a legacy of slavery and legal segregation of the races.
“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,” Obama told a crowd of about 240,000 supporters in Chicago’s Grant Park.
“Change has come to America,” he said.
Preparations for an Obama presidency were already underway yesterday. With just 76 days until the inauguration, Obama is expected to move quickly to begin assembling a White House staff and selecting Cabinet nominees.
Key American allies were quick to welcome Obama’s election, which some in Europe compared to man’s first steps on the moon and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Challenges
“At a time when we have to confront immense challenges together, your election raises great hopes in France, in Europe and in the rest of the world,” French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a letter to the president-elect.
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expects “closer and more trusting cooperation between the United States and Europe” under Obama’s leadership.
Obama’s choice as vice president, Sen. Joseph Biden, predicted during the campaign that as president Obama would be tested by a foreign power. Russia on
Wednesday signaled that it may be first to do so.
President Dmitry Medvedev, in a speech Wednesday, did not congratulate Obama, but blamed the US for the global financial crisis and for allegedly provoking Russia’s war with Georgia in August.
Challenge
He said Russia would deploy short-range missiles close to its borders with Nato countries Poland and Lithuania, in response to US plans for a missile defense system in Europe.
When Obama takes office Jan. 20 as the 44th US president, he may face more difficult challenges both at home and abroad than any new US president since the Great Depression.
But he will do so with many allies in Congress, as his Democratic Party expanded its majorities in both chambers. And he will take office with broad popular support.
He scored a decisive win the in the electoral vote, the state-by-state tally that determines the winner.
Obama needed only 270 votes to claim the presidency, but sailed to victory with 349 to McCain’s 147, with three states still too close to call. Voter turnout, still being counted, was expected to shatter records.
Supporters welcomed Obama’s victory with delirious celebrations in cities across the US, as supporters cheered, danced and cried.
In Washington, hundreds took to the streets near the White House, carrying balloons, banging drums and chanting, “Bush is gone!” Along U Street, once known as America’s Black Broadway, men stood on car roofs, waving American flags and Obama posters.
Obama’s victory marked the rise of a new generation of American leadership, after 16 years of presidents who came of age during the Vietnam War era. Obama. 47, was still a child when most US troops came home.
It was also Americans’ final, symbolic rejection of Bush’s presidency. Bush’s popularity soared after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then collapsed with his administration’s bungled response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the war in Iraq, and to the regulatory lapses that many think led to the US financial crisis.
Most expensive
The race was the longest, most expensive and most riveting in memory. Both Obama and McCain had been on the campaign train for almost two years.
McCain called his former rival to concede defeat - and mark the end of his own 10-year quest for the White House. “The American people have spoken, and spoken clearly,” McCain told disappointed supporters in Arizona.
“This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight,” he said. “These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”
Bush added his congratulations from the White House and promised a smooth transition. “What an awesome night for you,” he told Obama shortly after the race was decided.
An Obama presidency offers the prospect of a new style and tone in American foreign policy.
Obama has said he will try to withdraw US troops from Iraq in 16 months and has called for a new opening to US adversaries, such as Iran and Cuba. He has urged the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison and favors cap-and-trade systems to reduce global warming.
Internationally, Obama is hugely popular - a sharp contrast to Bush. Part of his appeal is his personal story that highlights American multiculturalism: Besides his Kenyan father, he has a half-sister who is the daughter of an Indonesian.
In his campaign, Obama mined a deep vein of national discontent, promising Americans hope and change throughout a nearly flawless 21-month campaign for the White House.
He first soared into the national spotlight with his electrifying speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, when he made his first run for the Senate. He offered a
message of unity to a country mired in partisan anger.
In a grueling primary battle, he managed to raise more money and out-maneuver the front-runner, former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
False rumors
After Obama’s victory Tuesday, Clinton called and pledged her support. Americans, she said in a statement, “voted for change, and refused to be invisible any longer.”
Throughout his campaign, Obama was the target of false rumors about his religion, his ethnicity and his patriotism. Some pointed to his middle name of Hussein to claim that Obama, a Christian, was Muslim - something a significant number of Americans would find unacceptable.
In his race against McCain, Obama was steady and focused on the economy - voters’ biggest concern - and linking McCain to Bush.
McCain, 72, was a tough rival for Obama. He is widely admired for enduring 5 years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. His reputation as a maverick gave Republicans hopes of winning over independents and moderate Democrats.
But McCain had an uphill fight. He tried without success to portray Obama as too radical and inexperienced, casting him as an advocate of high taxes and socialism.
McCain also tried to shake up the race by naming Alaska’s young conservative governor, Sarah Palin, as his vice presidential running mate. The choice energized much of the Republican base, but her lack of experience and poor performance in interviews worried many voters. (AP)
