Call me whatever you wish.

Let it be known, I'm proud to be American tonight. A year of questioning the values of my home country... contemplating whether or not we, as a nation, deserve the power bestowed upon us, being so young and naive compared to most of the other nations on planet earth. All of this questioning was put to rest tonight as I observed from an Irish pub, the hope and inspiration that the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President brings not only to the U.S., but to the world.

America, although formed by unity has seen it's fair share of a divided people in the past. We've gone through a Civil War, an era of slavery and struggle over civil rights.. and still quibble over whether or not sexual orientation or religious belief qualifies as being granted equal rights as citizens of a free country.

Whether or not you think Obama is a qualified candidate, you can't deny the impact that this election has had. You might think that this guy spews naught but bullhockey straight from the speechwriter's mouth, but you've got to give him credit. Here's a guy that is 47, born the same year as my Dad... with little experience in running our nation. Agree or disagree, Obama's rise to the presidency has brought our nation together. Although you may say that I, like President Obama, am young and naive, I'm not going to deny what I saw today, and what I saw was over a million people marching in unity over what our great country has become in its short history. The media can't cover that up. Especially an un-American media outlet. That fact has got to stand for something.

Another thing... you can complain or praise all you want about President Bush... the guy kept us safe and free from attack for 7.5 years, and he deserves some gratitiude. I found myself raising a toast, standing and covering my heart to not only Fmr. President Bush, but all the people responsible for keeping this country safe including the soldiers regrettably fighting in Iraq and other locations worldwide, and the recently appointed staff that our newly elected leader will oversee.

What I'm basically getting at is, political beliefs aside... from my perspective, the world is proud of the U.S. tonight. Congratulations President Barack Hussein Obama... now get to work. I need a job after I graduate college. Don't lecture me on having my facts muddled or a "media-saturated", manipulated opinion. Like the rest of you, I'm making a decision based on the information that is presented to me. You making my decision for me would be morally presumptuous. Again, Congratulations President Obama, Ireland and the U.S. are expecting a lot out of you.