There are hard times ahead, but I figure that Obama might be just the right man at the right time to handle these issues. He gives the impression of being exceptionally smart and able to gather smart advisors around him. So I'm amazed at this huge step the US has made the previous weeks - one of the pictures of the year 2008 was Jesse Jackson crying after Barack Obama had been pronounced election winner. You do get the impression that after years of stagnation, the US is now trying to get ahead of the curve again when it comes to civil and human rights.

I must admit that I really envy the US for this election result. We could definitely use some of that spirit in politics as well. And we also could use some smart people there ...