calm in the chaos

I awoke this morning to the BBC coverage of Senator Obama being announced as President Elect.

A few times I welled up listening to his victory speech - reminded me of some of Jed Bartlett’s finer oratory moments ;-) Barack Obama certainly has a way with words, but actions tend to be a bit louder and more boisterous so I’ll reserve my final judgement until I’ve seen a few of them.

He’s come a long way from the days when the Aussie satirical comedy team The Chaser were taking the piss. I love the fact that he’s also appeared on Letterman which I no longer get to watch in the UK (come on Sky pull your finger out!)

Hearing of his departure from the campaign trail in the final days before the election to be with his dying Grandma reflected incredibly well upon his character. He seems to be made of the right moral fibre for a nation that is seeking to realign it’s moral compass. In addition to this, his unique upbringing provides him with an insight that past political leaders could not imagine having.

So here’s my dream:

• that American leadership will get back on track and restore a bit of faith in democracy
• that the US will focus more on its own internal problems than trying to be everything to everyone
• that a bit of funding (just the odd billion or two) is directed away from the military to slightly more useful things - say, the environment, health and education (these create jobs too last time I checked)
• that minorities (in time) will no longer feel like the minority
• that Letterman starts showing in the UK ;-)

What’s your dream?