Non-White House

One of my favourite songs--and a popular country number, sung by both Alan Jackson and the group Brooks and Dunn--goes:

Only in America...

Dreaming in red, white and blue,

Every dream is big as we want it to

We all get a chance

Everybody gets to dance

This truth was hammered home hard last night when Barrack Obama, son of an African father and a white American mother, swept the polls to become the 44th President-elect of the United States of America--and the first one who is not White (i.e.Caucasian) by race.

With a first name that is distinctly black, a Muslim middle name (Hussein) and a last name that could be easily confused with that of America's enemy no. 1, few were willing to wager on him in the early stages of the presidential race.

Even when he was contesting the Democratic nomination against Hillary Clinton, most analysts predicted that America was not yet ready for "the change", i.e. a mixed-race president. When Hillary lost the nomination to Obama, their voices became louder as they hinted that if the US of A did not want a white woman in the White House, a black man hardly stood a chance.

In retrospect, Democrat americans were probably indicating that just being a Senator, or the famous wife of a popular but philandering former president was not enough to run for the top job.
As the presidential race gathered steam, Obama surprised everyone with his calm and confident demeanour, his grasp of foreign policy and economic issues and his plans to fix them. And he did this while debating his Republican opponent, the vastly experienced Senator John McCain, a Vietnam war hero and a veteran of Washington politics.

Obama started his campaign with the slogans of 'Change' and 'Hope', terms that resonated well with most Americans--especially the younger ones--and a lot of people around the world. After eight years of Republican rule, a war-weary US, facing unprecedented economic crises and teetering on the brink of recession, decided last night to give Obama the chance to lead the country out of its problems, never mind the colour of his skin.

Anyone who has been to US for a visit (or has lived there) knows how awesome a country built by a bunch of immigrants to begin with can be. It is also probably that way because it was indeed built by waves of people dissatisfied with the societies they lived in and wanted to build a country that was close to what an ideal nation would be like.

Despite its failings, especially on the foreign affairs front, US has become the land which leads the world with opportunities it provides to anyone who wishes to hitch his wagon to this star. And for its citizens who have the talent and capability and are willing to work hard, no dream is too big. Obama's definitive victory is yet another proof of this promise of the promised land.