It's finally over. Nearly two years after it began, the longest race to the White House has ended, not with a whimper, but with a bang. Barack Obama's landslide victory not only gives him a mandate, but it also gives him a lot of responsibility to do the things he promised to do. Let's hope he can keep those promises.
You have to wonder if John McCain ever really stood a chance. No matter who he picked as a running mate, no matter who ran against him, you wonder if the double whammy of the tanking economy and Bush's unpopularity made the task impossible for him (or for any other Republican). My feeling is that, as the end drew near, McCain knew the race was lost. That's why Sarah Palin had nothing to lose by "going rogue" and why McCain tried his best to create a self-fulfilling prophecy of having a chance in Pennsylvania. In the end, wishing just wasn't going to make it so.
The election made headlines in newspapers around the world. In the UK, the Independent offers lots of articles and analysis. For instance, HERE you can see just what other countries hope for and expect from Obama, who gives every indication of being the anti-Bush.
But, it's not all serious. HERE the paper takes a look back at the battle between Obama and McCain through the eyes of the political cartoonists. Enjoy. One from John Cole of THE TIMES-TRIBUNE in Scranton even made the cut!
