Election Congratulations

Barack Obama ran two back-to-back sensational campaigns. Although I didn't vote for him, I'd be very happy to be proven wrong. We need a successful President. He has many attributes like intelligence, eloquence, and calm which could be ingredients for that success; he inspires enthusiasm. He has a majority which makes very clear whom Americans intended to elect. He does face tough times but there have been worse. Anyway, we're all in this together so congratulations and good luck to President-elect Obama.

Also congratulations to Vermont's Republican Governor Jim Douglas who has apparently gotten well over the required 50% of the vote in this bluest of states despite running against both a Democrat and a surprisingly strong independent. Vermont's electoral votes were the first three awarded to Obama by CNN's computers; but independent Vermonters rewarded Douglas' calm and achievements despite the nationally sullied Republican brand.

Comments

[K. Zino]

Tom,
I like reading your in depth analysis of why you voted the way you did. One disturbing thing that came out of this election was the overwhelming bias of the media as blogged by ABC anchor Michael Malone http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=6099188
After this election I will never again veiw CNN as a reputable source for informative journalism. Also disturbing is the large number of people here and abroad who seem to worship Obama in a cult-like fashion. I saw an image where someone painted "Obama is God" on the side of a building. I used to marvel at how dictators were capable of overturning countries and gaining the trust of their people to a point where logic and reason were no longer welcome in political debates. After seeing this election, I think I've witnessed first hand how this environment is created.

[Barry Kelly]

Tom,

From past posts you seem to place a high priority on the military aspect of foreign affairs in assessing qualifications for your country's leadership. I'd suggest that you might include this UK opinion piece in your reading, however, as it rings just as true to my ears in how the dynamics of terrorism play out as your own approach sounds so off-key:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/06/barack-obama-war-on-terror

Key quote:

"Accept that terrorism is a technique. It is not an ideology. The west faces no global enemy, no worldwide Islamofascist conspiracy. Foreign crises should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Their roots lie in the complex interplay of local tensions, social grievances, economic inequalities, unemployment, food and water shortages and cultural prejudice that plagues so many countries. If fundamentalists of this ideology or that religion try to exploit that, they only scratch the surface. Don't hand them the gift of overreaction."