stepping out of the mud

Have you seen this image?

What about this one...

Obamania is sweeping the nation and beyond. And the first thing the Times reports is that the Obama team stresses that change will happen slowly, the nation will need some patience.

Prior to the election a BBC report claimed that the majority of 22 out of 22 polled non-US countries would vote for Obama over McCain if given the opportunity. This would imply (hopefully) that Obama would be able to do as he claimed -- to restore US relations with foreign nations, and possibly go beyond that by creating an image of the U.S that exemplifies change. Of course this is on the surface by being black, but more importantly by being a calm and confident speaker who exudes an intelligent and thoughtful reason -- very much the antithesis of the big W.

And this economic crisis, though as scary as hell, may just be a good opportunity to make some fundamental changes with the way the U.S. economy has been working.

I've found myself a supporter but not an Obamaniac, which means that I hope that we all ('we' who voted for this glimmer of hope and image of change) don't lose site of the depth and extent to which that hope and change can reach. We must be realistic but impatient, fight off the danger of complacency and definitely not chill out. (I'm trying to convince myself more than anyone.)

It's now time to feed the fire that has been lit.