The Americans disproved the doubts of many people who believed that America would not elect a black person as a president. They have proved that America is mature enough to take such an unprecedented step and have proved to people all over the world that the United States is indeed the promised land its main founders George Washington and Thomas Jefferson wanted it to be. The landslide victory of the Democrat Barack Obama against his Republican rival John McCain is actually a turning point in the history of not only the United States but also of a world in which millions of people are still facing racism and discrimination. The civil rights fighter Martin Luther King stood in Washington in 1964 and said his famous phrase* "I have a dream". He devoted his life to the struggle against the racism his black peers were enduring during that time. The election of Obama is a culmination of the civil rights struggle for full equality and freedom for both black and white American citizens. It is the fulfillment of King's dream. This could have happened only in America* where race identity is no longer an issue in the decision-making of the American voter. Millions of people enthusiastically hailed the victory of Obama not only because they had enough war and problems during the reign of the Bush administration* but also because they identified their personal problems of identity and racism with those of Obama and his family. I talked to many Americans with different backgrounds while I was there reporting this historic event and they told me Obama was able to inspire them with his "politics of hope"* his campaign for change. Obama was able to bring youth* eloquence and a compelling personal history to the 2008 election and captured his party's nomination by advocating change in U.S. policy. I have been reading Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" which he authored in 2006; the book tells of the challenges he faced before reaching the Senate* the frustration he met with in this position* and his views towards several issues. He has been on a quest for his lost white-black identity and found the answer in his politics of hope. And indeed* Americans answered his call for equality between blacks and whites in their decision to take him in the White House without considering the race ideology that had in the past been the predominant language of US citizens. Many people in the U.S. and in many countries all over the world have high expectations for the change Obama promised to introduce into the U.S. policy* both domestically and internationally. This puts the man and his administration in a difficult position. I know change takes time* but people are waiting to see signs that the promised change will translate into reality.Dr. Mohammed Al-Qadhi (mhalqadhi@hotmail.com) is a Yemeni journalist and columnist....

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