A tall, lanky man stood before the statehouse in Springfield, Illinois and announced his intent to run for the office of the presidency of the United States. The bulk of his political experience had been in the very same Illinois statehouse. He wasn't born in Illinois, but had chosen to migrate to it. He had been sent to Washington but was seen by those who opposed him as an ignorant political novice.
His chief competition was a seasoned political veteran and their debates became the stuff of legend. When the smoke cleared and the election was over the tall, lanky man had been elected President of the United States of America.
We all know that man's name, but for those who don't his name was Abraham Lincoln and he is on both your five dollar bill as well as every penny you've ever tossed into a fountain.
Two years ago another tall, lanky man who had immigrated to Illinois from Hawaii rather than Kentucky stood before the same statehouse in Springfield, Illinois and was given the same odds that a young lawyer and congressman named Abraham Lincoln had been given. His opponent was an experienced Stephen Douglas, Obama's was Senator John McCain. President elect Lincoln had to face a fragile union destined to fracture, Obama takes the helm with a nation in financial crisis and fighting two wars.
Parallel between Lincoln and Obama aside, the longest political campaign in our history has finally ended. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States and in victory thanked John McCain for his service to a grateful nation.
John McCain like the American hero he is urged his followers to get behind president elect Obama as we as a nation face one of the most trying times in our history. The campaign was a long, hard and ugly one and passions ran high on both sides. Truly intelligent McCain supporters simply said that Obama didn't have enough experience. Truly evolved Obama supporters said while they had philosophical disagreements with Senator McCain, respected him as a great American.
The ignorant called Obama a terrorist, questioned his citizenship and an elitist. The truly stupid attacked McCain's wife for once having had a drug problem, questioned McCain's sanity and called him a racist.
The United States has survived the election of 2008 and hopefully the next four years will see the next president and the Senior Senator from Arizona working together to show us what we as Americans can achieve when we put aside our differences and place the greater good above petty politics.
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