Mail Call: The President-Elect

The World Welcomes Barack Obama
The stupendous victory of Barack Obama marks a new era that ushers in change and hope for the United States and the rest of the world ("President Obama, 44," Nov. 17). This triumph has dismantledthe last racial barrier in America, land of the free. The tasks confronting Obama are humongous given the economic crisis and the mess of two wars created by his predecessor, George W. Bush. It will require all of Obama's intelligence, integrity and political acumen to straighten things out on both the domestic and international fronts. He was America's best bet to prevail over seemingly insurmountable problems, and his supporters deserve encomiums for taking a chance and voting for "change." If Obama is all about change, as he declared throughout the campaign, now comes the time to walk the walk.
K. Chidanand Kumar
Bangalore, India

Your Nov. 17 issue, on the events that took place during the battle for the White House, proved most compelling. Congratulations, NEWSWEEK. Living on the other side of the globe, we do not get the inside story of how each candidate coped with his aspirations. We don't realize the hours and sweat that political teams put into the campaigns. If only our elections could become as orderly as yours, instead of being fraught with tribal divisions and demands! But that will reach my country one day, I am sure.
Tom Button
Nakuru, Kenya

I would like to offer my hearty congratulations to Obama-san, his family and the American people, who have worked to bring about this historic change to their country and the world at large. I must add that my country, Japan, is now in trouble because of a bearish stock market, a bureaucracy losing moral confidence and a low birthrate, among other factors. We also lack internationally assertive political leaders. Japan, also a democracy, has enjoyed peace for more than 60 years, since 1945. Its population is still near-homogeneous, efficient and hardworking, and can be of help to Obama's urgent business of addressing the worldwide financial crisis. So please be friendlier to Japan than to China, for example. Historically, what Japan needs now is gaiatsu (pressure from other countries) to bring about further modernization. I wish Obama would play a role such as Commodore Matthew Perry did in 1853, but not in a militaristic way, just according to his new political philosophy. We have a city called Obama in Fukui prefecture, and there are those who speculate that Obama's roots come from this city. Seriously now!
Ryuhei Shoji
Kobe, Japan

I am the son of a Yemeni Jewish mother and a Turkish Muslim father. I grew up in Berlin and am a German citizen. I met my Indian Hindu wife when I lived in London for some 20 years. I have often been asked where I feel I belong. I've always answered that I am a citizen of the world. I didn't have a better answer, as I could never feel true patriotism for any country. Obama's win has been like an open-armed welcome to that part of me that wants to belong to a nation, that is longing to feel loved by and to love a country that stands for true equality, that understands that the essence of all human beings is the same. Today, if someone asked me where I feel I belong, I would proclaim sincerely: "Ich bin ein Amerikaner!"
Gan Amram-Oymak
Berlin, Germany

Only in The United States could a black person hope to be elected to the highest political office in the land by a predominantly white electorate. Americans, you are truly a great nation, a shining beacon of light for mankind (though you do sometimes send the wrong sort of guy to your Oval Office). For your sense of fairness and justice, wisdom and courage, the world salutes you, America.
S. S. Sethi
New Delhi, India

Congratulations to the people of the United States of America and the world. Fareed Zakaria's Oct. 27 article, "The Case for Barack Obama," helped cement my belief about the United States and its bold, courageous and honest people. For shaping the course of history, the credit for electing Obama president goes to the American people, who, as usual, continue to make the best of history. Obama's American grandparents raised him to believe that everything is possible in America, even when it comes to the highest office in the world. I spent all day and night glued to the news, until I heard John McCain's remarks conceding defeat and Obama's victory speech. Long live Obama and the people of the United States of America—real champions of liberty, freedom and democracy.
Tesfaye Alemayehu Fanta
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

I read your Nov. 17 issue, which is rife with the stories of Barack Obama's success. Every corner of the world is buzzing with Obama frenzy. His success can be attributed to a strategically well-run campaign, the disappearance of the Hillary Clinton factor, Obama's foreign-policy stance, an alternative to the Bush administration and the Republican Party, and so forth. Whatever the reason, Americans have made history. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream showed the way. Today's dreams are grounded in the reality of domestic and economic difficulties and the threat of worldwide terrorism. Let's hope Obama can seize the moment.
Bam Dev Sharma
Nepal

I am an 18-year-old who is proud and grateful for having witnessed such a historic moment: Barack Obama's victory, signaling singular change. I'm French, but nevertheless was passionate about this election. I was impatient to switch on my radio to hear the results and to see my hopes realized. I don't know if Obama will keep his promise of change, but by his winning the White House, the whole world understands that we're entering a new era. The color of one's skin is no longer an obstacle to reach the presidency of the greatest country. America's melting pot rallied around him.
Emma Vandenabeele
Coudekerque-Branche, France

Americans proved to the world that they are a people whose vision is not obscured by narrow thinking. The United States proves it is the greatest country because a victory like Obama's could happen only in a land of such opportunity. I hope he will live up to the expectations of the people who voted him into this high office.
Sujatha Herathge
Kandy, Sri Lanka

For 66 years, I could never have imagined that a phenomenon such as Barack Obama would come to pass. For my whole life I have been trying to overcome the pessimism of intelligence with the optimism of will. As a peripheral observer, I would think that only hard times such as the ones we are living through might produce a president such as the one voted into office in the United States. Indeed, not only is he a mixture of races, but Obama's full name is Barack Hussein Obama—which certainly leads one to imagine the possibilities of cultural synthesis worldwide.
Dalgimar Beserra De Menezes
Fortaleza, Brazil

One man's dream has come true; another has reached the proverbial mountaintop. If America was a great nation before, today it has become a great "King"-dom. Congratulations to the American people for looking beyond racial prejudice. Congratulations to Barack Obama for opening the road to change. And good luck to all for the challenges ahead we jointly face.
Marie-Hélène Behar
Verneuil-Sur-Seine, France

Your Nov. 17 special issue is an amazing piece of work. In my old age I have grown impatient with long essays that don't grab my attention quickly. But I read your special issue from cover to cover like a great novel that I couldn't put down. It helped, of course, that there was (for me) a happy ending. But when I was finished rereading, I liked John McCain more than I had earlier, and I liked his wife even more (she probably hates Karl Rove even more than I do). It was beautifully put together. Thank you.
Neil Haldeman
Ann Arbor, Michigan

I am a freelance journalist in Chicago, and I have lived and breathed this presidential election. I saw every debate, filled all my evenings with political analysis and read The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Chicago Tribune daily. I have always enjoyed NEWSWEEK, but never more than after reading your 50,000-word account of the campaign. I spent the better part of several days reading the issue. For those of us who followed the election closely, this was the icing on the cake. As a student of journalism, I thought your work was breathtaking. And for those of us who wondered what else there could be after Nov. 4, thank you. Your reporting and writing set a bar of excellence that all reporters should strive to reach. Bravo.
Susan Berger
Glencoe, Illinois

Barack Obama's victory was as significant as George Washington becoming America's first president, Abraham Lincoln holding the country together during the Civil War or Franklin D. Roosevelt taking office during the depths of the Great Depression. The lasting legacy of Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt is that they governed wisely. I have every expectation that a soon-to-be President Obama will do the same.
Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach, California

Congratulations to Barack Obama on his historic election. I sincerely hope he lives up to the astonishingly high expectations of his supporters. I am cautiously optimistic about his presidency, but it scares me to know that he owes his victory more to the will of the press than the will of the people.
Anne Martin
Chicago, Illinois

We would do well to get several things straight about the election of Barack Obama. First, this election was not a referendum on his liberal policies. Swing voters did not vote for him because of his position on abortion, stem-cell research or civil rights. Instead, they voted for him for several reasons: his personality (he is articulate and charismatic) and his campaign (he raised tons of money and had a much better strategy than John McCain). But the financial crisis "heard round the world" that erupted six to eight weeks before the election was the primary element that fueled his numbers. (Things in the Senate and House of Representatives might have been different had the financial collapse waited until after the election.) Voters chose Obama because McCain's entire campaign was erratic and ineffective. They voted for him because it was so easy to convince America that George W. Bush was the problem. None of this should lead anybody to conclude that Americans are now more liberal than they were. Obama would do very well to remember this as he governs. I, for one, hope he does.
David Webb
Hobart, Indiana

Your Nov. 17 issue is one of the best examples of news reporting I have ever read. The inside details of the long presidential campaign constitute exactly the type of in-depth journalism I seek with respect to national news, yet rarely find. Congratulations from a regular reader on an exceptional issue.
Ken Wager
via internet

I am immeasurably proud of my country—not because we elected an African-American president, but because we did not allow race to prevent us from electing the best man for the job.
Joanne Trapanese
Ghent, New York

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the magnificent coverage of the election process over the past 20 months, and especially for the Nov. 17 issue, summing it all up. I am archiving this copy for my great-grandchildren (if I ever have any) and for their future descendants.
Frederica Anderson
Schenectady, New York

The majority has spoken. america must move forward. Let us pray that our president will surround himself with the best of counsel and lead us responsibly, judiciously and honorably, without prejudice or partisanship.
H. Gordon Havens
Independence, Missouri