History.

The reports have been rolling in today from around the world--victory parties in Paris, cheering crowds in India, shouts of "USA! USA!" on the streets of London. Nations around the world are celebrating because of what happened yesterday in our country, and the significance of that is impossible to deny. Last night the streets of New York, like so many cities across the country, were filled with people. There were crowds of thousands and pockets of a few, cheering and honking horns and hugging complete strangers. On the news today they were comparing it to the scene on V-J Day, when people swarmed Times Square in jubilation over the news that World War II had ended. Perhaps I'm being overly sentimental (I am), but I find it hard to be cynical about that kind of joy, that kind of hope.

Of course, I'm not naive--I know that Obama's victory does not mean it will be sunshine and puppies from here on out. He and we still face a long, hard road to build up a country beset by enormous challenges. But to know that we have just made history, and that so much of the world is once again standing with us, it feels, even for just this one day, like a great day to be an American.