trip to EMEA in November

5 November, 2008
Wow! I am currently traveling through Europe for business. Last night I stayed in Paris in a Quality Inn Hotel watching fearfully as the election results rolled in. My big fear was that the country I love and appreciate would once again disappoint me and elect the wrong party into office; although it was more than that. This election will prove that the Civil Rights movement has carried on and through a generation, succeeded. As I watched the coverage through the eyes of the BBC news group, I realized that the Europeans felt pretty much the same as I and others felt, that this is a pivotal historical event… I turned off the TV at 1 am when the first results came in… McCain was ahead. I tossed and turned and then finally turned the TV on at about 2:30 to learn that Obahama had won in Virginia… Ok, now I could sleep… things looked good. 7am… BBC, America has overwhelming voted the first black man as President of the United States..(am in the TV series 24?)
Yeah for us, Americans came through. Despite the obvious differences in the two candidates, the true desire for change and unanswered questions about “what’s next,” led the popular vote, as well as the electoral college to indicate that this man, this party, regardless of race, and or political rhetoric is what we need both in America and around the globe to truly define the century. My co-workers in the Paris office arrived tired and happy. Apparently the French feel very attached to the American political system, as do my friends in Germany and the UK. All eyes were on America and I think we did ourselves proud. My friends who were hoping for a McCain victory, credit to you for recognizing a great American. He really is an American hero. Too bad his party has messed up the world in the past 8 years. (I will say, I would not have been quite as disappointed with McCain as I was last time with Bush… ) However, the rest of the world (that I am exposed to) would have been very disappointed… even in the mostly conservative UK.
What a time to be in Europe. Starting last week I traveled from the UK to Munich to Paris and then back to the o UK. The first thing I was asked in each place was, are you going to vote? This trip was last minute. I learned on Tuesday that I needed to be in the UK for a meeting on Thursday, Oct 30th. Luckily I had an absentee ballot due to the fact that I had voted in the primary that way. I guess you get it automatically from then on. Anyway, luckily I found it in the mess that is my home office… (new paint, new desk…yata yata…) Ok, so I voted, mailing it at my local post office during my early morning with Dakota… She was so happy to go for walk, little did she know that she was participating in the voting process. Happy Dog!
I have never been more proud to be an American. This is a historical time. We have voted a black man into the Presidency… He gives us all hope that the world can be a better place. Hopefully he will use history to help him with his inexperience. He does seem smart enough, let’s see how he does. The world needs a great leader to help calm the storm, be the voice of reason and define the 21st century.