I am totally against it, did not vote for him, will never support him, but it was still very significant.

I'm not really optimistic or excited about this. I've been living in the US for nearly 20 years, and as far as I can tell, things have remained basically the same for the middle class for a long time, regardless of who is president. I don't think his race should be such a big deal, either. What's important is how he does his job, not how much melanin he produces.

Disappointed

whether you like the fact that Obama won the presidency or not, you have to acknowledge the fact that it was a pivotal moment in American history.

I wanted obama 2 win.And i would vote yes on prop 8.

It is most signigicant... one more moment of oh holy hell! for the US

Bad choice. I didn't vote for him. On the other hand, I didn't vote for McCain, either.

He's horrible. Definitely the worst president ever.

He wasn't elected, he was placed... Just like the guy before him and so on...

I think it is more significant that the American people have elected the most liberal President in American history than electing the first black president. I am concerned that his youth and inexperience will not serve him well in the next four years.

GO MCCAIN

cant do any worse than what everybody else has done.

Absolutely the event of the year. The drama and suspense of the last days of the campaign were one of the central themes in 2008 for me and my family.

I arrived in the USA at the end of 2000, the last days of the Clinton administration, pretty clueless regarding US politics. The level of animosity towards Clinton surprised me, after the peace and prosperity of his two terms, as did the morbid fixation on his sex life. That piqued my interest in the dynamics of politics over here.

However, it was the election of George W Bush that truly politicized me. I was dumbfounded that the American people would actually fall for (what was to me) such a load of crap, this phony backslapping bonhomie, the disregard for science, the pandering to, and manipulation of the radical Christian elements in society, the dumbing down of history and the subtleties of international relationships to a simplistic binary code of 'good' and 'evil' or 'freedom loving', 'freedom hating', etc. This feeling was compounded by the reelection of Bush. And all the while, most of my American friends were profoundly ashamed and embarrassed to be represented by such a jackass.

After 8 years, and seeing the president and his administration having failed the country so totally and absolutely on almost every conceivable metric, with the exception of Aids funding for Africa, there was really no consolation in saying 'I told you so'. I was worried about the country I have come to regard as my home - the place where my children are growing up.

So, along with my friends in the US, I was ready for change. However, I was skeptical of what change Obama could bring, and I am always leery of cheap catchphrases (Change you can believe in), and I hate the whole doe-eyed hero-worshiping. But, he struck me as a man who was bright, openminded, curious and engaged, and who would surround himself with bright people, who might actually make a difference.

Based on his first days of political office, I am encouraged. He is moving quickly to undo some of the damage inflicted by the Bush administration. To quote Prof Shawn Bowler, "It is like suddenly the adults are in charge again".

I have not lived in America long enough to truly emotionally appreciate the significance of a black man becoming president, although intellectually, I can understand it and realize that it is a great step ahead for the US.

yes we r counting on him 2 change our life for the better of america

OK, we got the changed we asked for, lets hope its a good change tho.

Best thing our country has seen in decades.

i HATE obama

DONT LIKE HIM B/C HE IS UNDERCOVER MUSLIM!!! AND THEY DONT BELIEVE IN GOD!!!

One of the few good things that happened in a crappy year. I was so relieved when he won.

He needs a good cabinet to try to fix the disaster that Bush has brought to the US and the world.

In all the wrong ways.....

Obama will be in as of January 20, and he has to be given a chance to clean up the years of incompetence of the last administration that was in. It is going to take a while to see any kind of a significant change.

In a year with a lot of news, this is the story of the year.  As the Onion says (paraphrasing) - "Black man just given the world's worst job - still can't catch a break."

He's going to need a lot of help and a lot of luck - there are big forces wreaking havoc on the world right now.

I guess Obama won, Running over that poodle didn't hurt him as much as I thought it would.

Boo

Obama's election is making a lot of people feel better and more optimistic, which is good. Even though I personally wouldn't care if it were McCain or Obama.

No question that Obama over sold the people on hope and change, he's spent time recently trying to lower expectations. Supporters are saying sorry, you better deliver.

This was a huge story. It is remarkable that an African American can be elected President of the United States only 40 years removed from the original Civil Rights struggles. He didn't do particularly well in the deep South, but he won with surprisingly strong margins elsewhere. Much of that can be attributed to voter dissatisfaction with the current trajectory of events along with weak Republican opposition.

On substance however, given some of his appointments along with his stated positions, I think that Obama is business as usual. He might be an upgrade over George W. Bush, but that's not really saying much. Some are expecting him to walk on water and be able to solve all of this nations pressing needs, but even he says himself that such expectations will be impossible to meet. We are about to find out if he is up to the job or not. For all of our sakes, we better hope that he is.

WHOOOOOOOO!!! that's what i did when the results came in

A new president is always one of the most significant news stories you can have in a year, so by default this deserves five stars. Now as to what "change" actually happens, I guess we just have to wait and see.

fuck off u christian capitalist fucks

American Presidential elections are always huge stories, but this one takes on greater significance because Barack Obama is the first President of African descent, and only the second non-WASP.

A huge story, and regardless of one's opinion of the man, it is impossible to deny the historical importance of his election. I worked in politics a goodly while, and had I been asked a decade ago when a black man might be elected president, I would have answered "Not in my lifetime." Frankly, I'm glad to be wrong. Not because I have great faith in Obama, because I don't, but because I think it is an undeniably important step forward in the political imagination.

Extremely important social advance for America.

Politics as usual.