OBAMA!

It is more than a political victory -- It's a world-historical moment. Out of the history of American racism, replete with slavery, lynching, apartheid and hatred for the black man, the emergence of Barack Obama as president, reflects shifts in the American landscape -- demographic, political ethical -- which are simply monumental and unimaginable just a short while ago.

Yes, America is changing - from a white-dominant society to an ethnically and racially pluralistic one. It is also changing in its political appreciation of racism. Both the Civil Rights movement of 40 years ago, and the "cultural left," with its doctrines of inclusion and tolerance, have made an Obama victory possible. Moreover, the younger the generations see color less, and humanity more; perhaps a real advance for the universalistic values inherent in humanism.

But Obama's was more than a political campaign; it was a movement. One of the extraordinary features of this almost flawless political campaign was the grassroots engagement of young people, and of constituencies in which political involvement had grown apathetic, cynical and bloodless. Building upon this foundation of activism will be one of Obama's greatest challenges.

There is also great moral power in the imagery of an Obama presidency. It speaks to an American audience with the promise of what is possible and the message that nothing is pre-ordained. And it speaks to an international audience about the resilience of American democracy, and the potency of such ideals as inclusion, equality and opportunity.

Though he will enter office with unprecedented challenges, which may submerge the productivity of his vision, for the moment the Obama triumph occupies a unique position in American history and the American experience.

It is time for us to feel good about ourselves.