The International Perspective We Hoped For

The Times (UK) has a very well done piece about the election of Obama, and what it means for America and the world. What I found most striking, though, is how well it complements Obama's victory speech last night and Bush's speech from this morning. The writers of these speeches and those of much of the international coverage of this campaign outcome could have been the same! The tones of these international responses were expected, but to compare them with the American hope for what the election means for our image abroad, it seems rather perfect.

Obama, in his victory speech, said, " to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope."

More plainly, he said, "to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores...a new dawn of American leadership is at hand."

Bush said that the victorious Obama campaign "showed a watching world the vitality of America's democracy, and the strides we have made toward a more perfect union. They chose a President whose journey represents a triumph of the American story..."

And that Times article cites the reasons why Obama won, including:
- "The American people are becoming, literally, a different people."
- "The world is changing and with it America's place in the world."
- "The conventional Republican agenda has stopped working."

Could we hope for more perfect PR? Next step: following through on the promised change.