'Our founders' dream is alive'
Updated on 05 November 2008
Though huge challenges lie ahead, Barack Obama and the American people are celebrating the achievement of an historic election victory.
The advent of a black president ensures that nothing will ever be quite the same again.
And no-one has yet surpassed what Barack Obama himself said of what has happened. The president-elect told a quarter of a million supporters in Chicago that "the dream of our founders is alive in our time".
But how much of Barack Obama's victory is also down to George Bush's handling of America's economy and to America's loss of face in the world?
Beyond Obama's historic victory lies a challenge of vast proportions - not least the global economic crisis and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama has already pledged that both issues will attract his immediate attention, and he is warning of a tough road ahead.
Today, though, America is allowing herself a moment to bask in what her people have done, to the envy and relief of much of the world beyond.
