05. November 2008
"Change has come" – Obama wins US presidential election
Barack Obama this morning declared "change has come to America" as he emerged triumphant from one of the most extraordinary elections of modern times to become his country’s first black president.
There were tumultuous scenes at his victory party, with 70,000 people at Grant Park in Chicago – and hundreds of thousands more outside – as TV networks simultaneously declared him the winner at exactly 11pm Eastern Time, bringing an emphatic end to the Bush years.
© Foto: barackobama.com
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy – tonight is your answer," he said.
He added: "It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America."