We all got to be a part of an historic election last night - as the first African American ever was elected President of the United States.

But we have to remember - we didn't elect him BECAUSE he is an African American. We elected him because a lot of us were unhappy with the direction that the country was taking. We elected him because he showed an ability to unify different people in this country. We elected him because he is intelligent and adaptable. We elected him because he seems to be the best chance for America to regain its standing with the international community - to regain the RESPECT of the rest of the world.

I personally didn't vote for him because he promises to raise taxes on the "rich". I voted for him because I felt this country has been dragged into a position where, if continued in that direction, it could only get worse. I wanted a President who felt as I felt about this disastrous "war" in Iraq. I wanted a President who shows me that he has the ability to THINK.

I hope that he stays in the center as he assumes the office. There is a danger of swinging too far to the other direction too rapidly, in my opinion. I'm happy that the election ended up as it did. I don't like everything about Barack Obama, but I like enough to give me hope for the best. (I like the fact that he's from Illinois; he has an innate understanding of problems in our city and state - we can use all the help we can get, but I imagine we as a state are not alone on that count.)

As an Illinoisan, my vote really didn't matter that much - both candidates took Illinois as a "given" for Obama, and didn't campaign much here. So the rest of the country, for better or worse, bought into Obama's message of change, and/or were so fed up with the mess that the current "Republican" administration has made, that people who probably never vote Democrat swung to the left.

One other thing: I hope we've seen the last of Sarah Palin. I'm sorry, but she impressed me not one bit. Had McCain taken a different tack on his campaign, had he not tied his wagon so much to George Bush's policies, and had he not made the (to me, very cynical) selection of Palin as his running mate, this election may well have gone another direction.