Interesting

I live in a home with a man with dual citizenship, who was born and raised in the US.

As interesting as I've found the US election, has been his reactions. To the election. To the "big time" media coverage. To the smaller media coverage. And to the reactions of the Canadians he knows (and those he doesn't).

I continue to hold my hope and keep my fear that the hope doesn't have a strong foundation. It should be an interesting few days, few months and 4 years.

Obama's victory speech

Just watched it (cause I knew that I was waking up at 5am,I wasn't staying up all night, not with the joys of the internet to help me).

Damn, but that man's a fine orator.

Because it wasn't that inspired a speech. He's definately done better.

It covered what it needed to: kudos to his defeated opponent, thanks to his running mate, family, and staff, call to both sides of the partisan divide, an initial statement of essentially "I may not be everything you want me to be" and a very inspiring, but ultimately non-specific call to the people for coming together as a nation.

It was on message (how many times can you say "Yes we can" and attribute it to iconic figures of american history?)

But at the end of the day, it wasn't a brilliant speech. It did what it was supposed to do, and that was all.

I still had tears in my eyes at the end of it. And that's the difference between someone who can deliver a speech and someone who can orate well.

It also distresses me, and at the same time I grok utterly the need, that the whole thing was buffered with bulletproof glass.

I long for a day when a leader doesn't have to be encased in security when they go out in public. I doubt we'll ever be there, but damn, it would be nice.