Obama!

I have tears in my eyes as I post this. That my kids will grow up knowing that truly anyone can become president of the United States--that change happens from the ground up and that they can shape the lives of their children and their future--this is why Obama has won.

When I was about my daughter's age, my family would gather around the TV and watch the Watergate hearings. I didn't get it all, but I understood that my parents were shaken and that something was very, very wrong in America.

My kids understand that America is awesome and beautiful and is responsible for a lot of lives around the world, and should therefore be filled with humility and kindness. We are all connected in a myriad of ways and all have an interest in each other's well being--it is our own well being too. Barack Obama always says this far more eloquently than I ever can, but my kids do know that everyone's shared humanity unites us and requires understanding and thoughtfulness and a sense of empathy as Obama has pointed out in numerous ways throughout this campaign.

This, from the AP from about 10 minutes ago,

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party.

The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day.

The 46-year-old first-term senator will face Sen. John McCain of Arizona in the fall campaign to become the 44th president.