Obama will be the 44th President!

California closed a few minutes ago, and the projections became 275 electoral votes for Obama out of a required 270.

In 1961 I graduated from an all-White segregated high school in Texas. Segregation, racism and White Supremacy never made sense to me, so I have always favored desegregation. But I never thought that I would live to see an African-American U.S. President. Now I have seen a man who is racially half White and half Black but more important than that who is amazingly competent elected U.S. President.

Obama's race is relatively unimportant. He is a superbly competent individual. Not perfect, but there is probably not another national politician who would be as capable of dealing with the economic collapse the conservatives have left to America as he is. That said, he will not remove the stain that slavery and racism have placed on America. But he has already in many ways redeemed America from the White Supremacist past just by becoming the Democratic nominee for President and now the American President-elect.

John McCain is right now conceding the election. He has begun by discussing the unique achievement of an African-American being elected President. As important as that is in so many ways, what really matters is that no one else who might have run for President is as competent and capable of performing as President in the economic and security conditions faced by our country.

I have supported and voted for Barack Obama for President. I did not do that because of his race. I did it because he is one of the most amazing individuals I have ever observed in national politics. I felt and still feel that Obama is a better candidate than was the very amazing Hillary Clinton. He is also a much, much better candidate than any Republican or conservative, including John McCain. John McCain really was the very best candidate the Republicans could have chosen, but he, his party and especially the conservatives and Neocons are simply not up to the challenges that face the next President of the United States.

In so many ways today has been an amazing day. Barack Obama will now be the 44th President.