And the Winner is...

Democracy.

While I have always had an interest in politics in America, not least because of the impact that the US has on the rest of the world, this presidential race was always going to rewrite history. Had Hillary Clinton been the nominee, even if she failed to win the first woman to run for president. Then when Barack Obama was selected as the candidate the first Black man to run. Equally for John McCain to choose Sarah Palin as running mate was again rewriting history. Therefore what ever the outcome history was going to be made.

However, because of the complexities of the electoral collage system, even with Barack Obama ahead in the polls the outcome was never a foregone conclusion. Like most people around the world we all remember the stolen election of 2000 and its hanging chads. Democracy was the real looser that day, that year. There were jokes over here that Zimbabwe were going to send election observers for the next one.

That particular election really changed and shaped the view that the rest of the world had of America. When the nation that espouses democracy and democratic principals to the world can not have a free and fair presidential election itself, then the American government becomes a hypocritical laughing stock.

Had the appalling attack on the twin towers not happened, I doubt that Bush would have then gone on to win a second term. As I have no doubt that he would have found some way of shooting himself in the foot. But with the backdrop of Terrorism and two wars, understandably Americans wanted a leader that was prepared to fight its enemies. However in both those wars, the US government made some serious mistakes. Not least of them was the ideology driving the US administration.

If we take Afghanistan first. The Taliban were and are a vile regime, but these are the same people that the US and the west armed to fight a proxy war against the soviet union. This was won by the Afghan people as the terrain made a conventional ground war impossible. Therefore trying to run a conventional ground war will never succeed. Also the real target was and should have been Al Qaeda

I am not saying that the war was not necessary, I think it was, and I am a person that hates war and that war should be avoided at all costs. But there are times when war is the only option left. Thus after routing Al Qaeda the west should not have tried to impose it version of democratic government on the country. Further, and this is where the ideology of the US administration really failed, it had the perfect opportunity to deprive Al Qaeda and the Taliban of funds by buying up the opium harvest.

As the real problem in Afghanistan is poverty, and the heroin poppy is grown as the only cash crop that will generate the income so that people can feed their families, then by buying the heroin the coalition would have changed hearts and minds quicker than anything. It is important to note that there is a shortage of medical heroine (Morphine) and this would have changed that. Also by buying the harvest, it would have all but ended the drug problems across the west. But ideology said that could not be done, and more British and American lives continue to be lost as we cant bring ourselves to find a pragmatic solution in the short term that will lead to peace in the long term.

Then we have Iraq. Here was a war that should never have been started. While Saddam Hussain was a vile dictator, and his people were suffering, this was a war that was motivated by Bushes ego more than any other reason. Here in Britain we have suffered the political fall out of the dodgy intelligence that tried to strengthen a poor case for war. But the main fact remains that Al Qaeda were not in Iraq. Nor were the WMDs.

There the real mistake that the Bush administration made was they expected an easy war, and it was. But they also expected to just be welcomed with open arms. Now no matter how oppressive the original government was, no citizen likes to see foreign troops on its streets, and with no plan of what you are going to do there, it left the coalition open to attack from and by everyone with a gripe or grievance. Further, the real enemy was able to exploit the lack of tack that the Bush administration has when dealing with the rest of the world, to stir up an insurgency from afar.

Barack Obama said that he did not support the surge and while there has been a quietening of the guns and bombs, it was not the surge that has enabled that but talking to the various factions in Iraq.

That is where President Elect Obama (its nice to type those words) will make real progress in helping end these wars. As only by talking can a conflict end. Not saying, as Bush does, we will only talk to you once you do all we want. That is what a spoilt child does when it cant get its own way. Here in Britain we had to talk to the IRA to get peace in Northern Ireland, it is still not a perfect peace, but it is far better to find the common ground to move forward than to act like spoilt children. As unlike spoilt children, when dealing with a conflict, war or terrorism, you risk peoples lives by not trying to find peaceful solutions.

This is why I think globally the election of Barack Obama and the getting rid of Bush was so important across the globe. As President Elect Obama is more likely to be a healing president who works with rather than dictates to other nations. Further I suspect that he will work in cooperation with the United Nations too.

Then the other big issue is Climate Change. I don't know if many Americans know this, I only found this out myself recently, but one of the first things that Bush did, after tracing down all the W keys that had been prised off the keyboards, was to have the solar panels removed from the White House. President Carter had them installed and they were reducing the cost of running the building. That was saving tax payers money. This is where I can not understand the mind set of some republicans (and some conservatives over here), as by investing in solar panels or wind turbines on public buildings, in the long term that would save tax dollars and lead to lower taxes, something they say they want and believe in. It really did seem as though Bush et al, were hell bent on destroying the planet.

What Barack gets that George W could never intellectually grasp, was alternatives to fossil fuels will eventually save money, create jobs and industries, deliver security and coincidently it will help save the planet too.

Here is where this also helps deal with the economic crisis. By developing green technologies and alternative energy solutions, it will create jobs and income in America. Just as is happening in Europe. Then we are in a position to sell that technology to places like China, India, Brazil, the world. Had General Motors not fought California in the courts over low emission car legislation and invested the money and energy into developing the cars, then GM Detroit, would have a full order book for Hybrid cars and not Toyota in Japan.

When Lehman Brothers collapsed, Barack Obama looked presidential, calm and ready to face the crisis. While all Bush could do was say that it looks like the economy was going down the Crapper! Very statesman like George. That was not the only time that Bush really looked as though he was really out of his depth, on 9/11 he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

I also remember that advert saying who would you want to get that three AM phone call. Well the only person that looked able to take that call was Barack Obama. While I doubt that he would have created the deal that provided the banks the best part of a trillion dollars, he was pragmatic enough to understand that something had to be done. I suspect it would have been much more like the package that Gordon Brown got for the UK banks. Where the government got shares in the banks, and this gives the government some control. But I doubt that had Barack Obama been the president for the last four years that it would ever have been allowed to happen in the first place.

While I don't agree with any form of command and control economy, there always has to be regulation and rules. Had the Bush republican actually realised that, and not just set up the system to benefit the few most wealthy, then many of the problems America and the world faces now would not have occurred. What Barack Obama really does have the chance to transform the American Economy and show the world how to create a sustainable economy that benefits everyone.

I stayed up to watch the results come in. I was impressed by John McCain and his concession speech. Had that been the tone of his campaign then he could have won. But it was hearing President Elect Obama speak that really told me that the American people had made the right choice. Unlike Bush who was the president for a few, President Elect Obama will be the leader of a nation.

The original sin of the Founding Fathers of America was to say that all men are equal while only meaning white men. That sin has now been absolved and real democracy has unfolded before our eyes. Only now can America say that democracy is fair and the right way for all.

Though I doubt that Barack Obama will assume that he has the right to impose his prospective upon the world. Following my previous posting, something I dashed off when California and Washington declared, there was a reminder that Bush will remain President until 20th January and while I am concerned that he could do something stupid (What George W do something stupid), I just hope that he doesn't.

President Elect Obama has a tough enough job ahead of him, and having Bush make the situation worse would be childish. But lets not be pessimistic as this really is a new chapter of history that is being written. What is most impressive is that now in America everyone genuinely has the vote and that democracy works and works for all.