THE MORNING AFTER

So here we go. Many debates, many signs, many votes later. Soon it will be the morning after the 2008 elections. Some of us will feel elated; others will be disappointed. However we will have taken part in a historical election no matter who wins or who loses. If Obama wins, the country will see the first acknowledged President of a mixed race. If McCain wins, we will have a first woman Vice President. There may be recounts, there may be disappointment in the electoral process and there may be the ongoing debate of the delegate system compared to the popular vote. But we will have validated another election and at the end of the day, we must continue to respect the process.

Certainly, this election has brought out deep sentiments this year. People seemed to be more vocal, more involved, more impassioned, than in prior elections. While the spectrum of possible morning-after reactions runs the gambit from complaining to an outbreak of violence, what we must acknowledge is that the future of the world economy and the Iraq war are in the balance.

As Americans the best we can hope for is that the winners do not spend the next four years in continuing petty battles attempting to punish or mete out retribution to the losing party. Our American ethic as people who are strong competitors must yield in order that we can regroup and move forward together. What is clearly more important than who you voted for or who won, is that we stop sneering at each other and reunite as Americans. We must, together, accept the winner, even if things don't go the way we wanted. We have to do whatever is necessary to insure that whoever wins will put nation above politics. And it is our job as the electorate to support our President and not do anything to undermine him.