Wow! The whole country is saying a collective WOW! Obama won the election. Lots of people voted and it appears that the votes got counted. Or did they? But those that hold power are acknowledging that Obama will take over the presidency, and there is a collective "Whew!" going on across the country. It's a huge undertaking to try and fix this nation and the rest of the world. Probably impossible. But it can be a lot better. And a lot of people think that Obama is smart enough to do that. It's called "hope," and i'm not talking about Arkansas.

McCain turned out to be a very formidable opponent for Obama. Had he made a better pick for VP, this race could have been in doubt. McCain is a true national figure and people generally view him pretty favorably. But he campaigned poorly and was caught in the tradewind of 8 years of Bush leading to the economic meltdown, whatever that is. Obama stayed on message perfectly - McCain as president is more of Bush.

Of course, that isn't necessarily true. McCain is not Bush and with a strong Democratic majority in both houses, would have had to sign things that were pretty progressive if he wanted to get anything done. This phenomenon occured with Richard Nixon when he signed the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other progessive laws. But, McCain just came off as a grumpy old man, and lost his chance.

One woman interviewed on NPR said that she just didn't want to look at and listen to McCain for the next 4 years. I understand that. I think the feeling that McCain gave you watching him compared to the feeling that Obama gave you watching him was very different, and that was a big detriment to his support. Notwithstanding that, McCain carried enough major red states to make Obama's victory something less than a landslide - decisive is how one of my friends described it - and I think that's a good description. Obama would have had to take a number of more states for it be a landslide. But it was indisputable enough that McCain conceded relativelyearly, and that was a relief. And yes, McCain was really gracious in his concession speech, which may end up salvaging his legacy.

Now, this morning, the national news is already focusing on the transition. Geez, I guess all of us can't wait to rid Washington of the George W. Bush administration. Good riddance and don't come back unless subpoened! Alak and Alas, we have him until January. But, he won't be getting a lot of attention. (that's when he could be dangerous) All eyes are on Barack Obama, but some should still be on what Bush is up to until he's finally out of here.

The mainstream media is now reporting that yes, Obama has asked Rahm Emanuel, congressman from the NW side of Chicago, and former Clinton administration aide, to be his Chief of Staff. I have already written that I'm not crazy about that choice, but I've been reflecting on it. Obama deserves and does have the right to have who he wants on his staff, and if he trusts Emanuel, then he should have who he trusts and wants. Emanuel has experience in an administration, and is obviously a very powerful person.

But Emanuel should apologize for his comments on the January 16, 2005 Meet the Press which I wrote about on Counterpunch January 22, 2005. http://www.counterpunch.org/donham01222005.html . Here's the transcript of part of that interview:

"MR. RUSSERT: Now, knowing that are no weapons of mass destruction, would you still have cast that vote?

REP. EMANUEL: Yes.. . I still believe that getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do, OK?

MR. RUSSERT: So even knowing there are no weapons of mass destruction, you would still vote to go into Iraq?

REP. EMANUEL: You can make--you could have made a case that Saddam Hussein was a threat....

MR. RUSSERT: What should the president do? What would you do differently?

REP. EMANUEL: ...what I would do is I would not have happy talk.... We still don't have a point on the horizon of what our exit strategy is. Second is if France and Germany won't go to Iraq and participate in the training of the forces,.., maybe ask Jordan to do it.

MR. RUSSERT: Should we have a specific plan for troop withdrawal?

REP. EMANUEL: I would hope they would have some point on the horizon to think about it."

So is Emanuel saying that regime change of another sovereign nation is a legitimate reason for invading and occupying that nation, even if it results in the killing of tens or hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, and even if that regime does not pose any kind of serious threat to us? I don't believe that people voted for Obama to have that kind of attitude. So, Emanuel needs to address this and clear it up. If not, then he doesn't really represent the kind of change that most people want in our foreign policy.

This morning the network shows talked to Emaneul. He did say that he had been asked, but he didn't say that he would accept it. Personally, I hope he turns it down, even though I'm sure he is a very competent person. I don't think I would want the job, although I think i could do it. But a new name, a new face, would be nice. Change. Already Obama named Podesto, former Clinton staff person, to head the transition. That's another one of these same ol' guys.

The news shows also speculated on different positions in the administration. NBC showed a TV screen full of a montage of photos of people being considered - there was probably 8 of them, and everyone of them was an older white male in a suit with names that we have heard before. Now, I want to hear things out of Barack's mouth, but he can't let the press and big corporations force him into things that aren't what the folks that elected him would want. (can he?)

Let's hope that Obama is going hire some new names, and that they will be a little more diverse than a bunch of the old white men in suits that have made many of the bad decisions that have gotten our nation in the hole that we are in. If experience is so important, then why didn't the people elect McCain? They don't care about experience. Experience is the problem. A fresh outlook, new ideas, new faces, more diversity, that's what we want. Not the same ol' same ol'. Been there, done that!

So Prez elect Barack Obama. I love you like the rest of your admirers and followers. But I love you because you seem ready to change things, and that's what we need. Sometimes changing the coach can make for a better team even with the same players. But sometimes you need to shake up the lineup, and now is the time for a little line up shaking! Good luck to you Mr. Barack Obama. Our eyes are on you and our hearts are with you.