Silver linings...

It will be interesting to observe the next four years. Obama may yet surprise, but I suspect any surprises will be of the unpleasant variety. As Charles Krauthammer pointed out during the evening's coverage, Americans probably know less about Obama's actual philosophy of governance ("Hope! Change!" ^TM) than any candidate they've ever elected to high office. Nevertheless, there are some upsides to Tuesday's results:

- There was a clear winner; no repeat of 2000's obsession with hanging chads, etc.
- The country clearly selected a course... and is likely to learn some overdue lessons as a result

But most importantly, as has been pointed out by many, any perception of a racial "glass ceiling" in this country has been broken. If for no other reason than the fact this means Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have less ammunition for fussing and fuming, I commend the occasion.