Congratulations America, for showing everyone in the world -- perhaps even more importantly, showing yourselves -- that you can rise to the occasion.
Congratulations Barack Obama, for bringing new hope to your nation and to the world.
And congratulations John McCain, for accepting defeat perhaps even more courageously than you fought for victory.
This is a triumph of liberty, humility and quality.
To those who think, often wishfully, that America is on an irreversible path to its demise, I ask: If this is decline, tell me what is progress?
I saw progress when I talked with volunteers for rival campaigns in front of London Towne Elementary School in Centreville, Virginia, on Election Day. I saw their dedication to their cause as well as their respect for their opponents at the same time.
The Republican volunteer was a young lady, her name as well, incidentally, being Virginia. The Republicans might have lost Virginia for the first time in 44 years. But with more Virginians like Virginia on board, they can rest assured they can win it back. When I asked the soft-spoken Virginia how she would react if Obama won the election, she said she would “respect” him. After all, he would be the president of the entire country.
This is the kind of approach McCain adopted in his gracious concession speech. On the other hand, this is the kind of maturity that many people and politicians in developing democracies cannot demonstrate.
You don’t have to “love” your political opponent, but you must have the utmost respect for someone who plays by the rules of the game and succeeds. This is what the American dream is all about. And despite the gloomy economic and international picture the nation finds itself in nowadays, the final phase of this election has proven that this dream is very much alive.
When I listened to President Bush on Thursday on the south lawn of the White House, it occurred to me once again how deeply rooted America’s commitment to democracy is. He didn’t sound like a bitter politician whose party had just been dealt a severe blow. He didn’t sound like he regretted losing his home of the last eight years to the enemy. There was a sense of jubilation about pursuing the tradition of peaceful transfers of power. He really seemed genuine. And I wanted to say something to him that I never felt like saying during most of his tenure: Congratulations, Mr. President.
No doubt this was a big loss for McCain supporters. No doubt many people are disappointed, if not distressed. No doubt some individuals can’t take it. But, thank God, the general cultural response at time of political defeat is not mindless anger in this country. Nor does it come to mind-boggling public insults to the opponents and their supporters, like one might frequently see in developing democracies.
Obama was exactly right in his eloquent election night speech before hundreds of thousands of his supporters in Chicago, not to mention millions watching on television. It’s the American people who won this election, not Obama. The American people accomplished this by peacefully supporting or opposing their candidates. As for Obama, he will only have won if he is able to pull off the difficult task awaiting him. And that task can best be described as follows: Unity at home, unity in the world.
Thanks America, for invigorating our hopes again -- our hopes for the US and our hopes for the world. And, once again, congratulations!
