Two years is a lifetime to wait for change. But finally the day is upon us. From eighteen. To two. To ONE.

Many of us have been waiting longer than 2 years. Much longer. Sometimes patiently, and sometimes with tremendous urgency, we waited for a sign, some moment in time that would begin to ease the weight of the past years transgressions, and begin to move us to a better place. I remember that moment for me back in 2004 where there was a whiff of hope, a suggestion that things could truly be different, and better.

“.. alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we are all connected as one people.

If there’s a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child.

If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent.

If there’s an Arab-American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief — it is that fundamental belief — I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sisters’ keeper — that makes this country work.

It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family: “E pluribus unum,” out of many, one.

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes.

Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America.

There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.

The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue States: red states for Republicans, blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don’t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states.

We coach little league in the blue states and, yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the red states.

There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?”

So here we are on this final day. And the world is holding its breath, watching us, waiting to see what will happen next.

Do they wonder if we will elect our first African-American president?

No.

Do they wonder if our next president will finally bring the war in Iraq to a close?

No.

Do they wonder if our next president will lead the way on the issues that matter most in this new century, like terrorism, poverty and climate change?

No.

They wonder if we will choose hope.

Vote.

The following analysis by Charles Babington came across the AP wire while Obama’s speech (more from me on that tomorrow) was still in progress. Is this guy really watching the same speech? Or is this a partisan hack job courtesy of AP Washington Bureau Chief Ron Fournier, friend of Karl Rove and John McCain?

Barack Obama, whose campaign theme is “change we can believe in,” promised Thursday to “spell out exactly what that change would mean.”

But instead of dwelling on specifics, he laced the crowning speech of his long campaign with the type of rhetorical flourishes that Republicans mock and the attacks on John McCain that Democrats cheer. The country saw a candidate confident in his existing campaign formula: tie McCain tightly to President Bush, and remind voters why they are unhappy with the incumbent.

Of course, no candidate can outline every initiative in a 35-minute speech – especially one that also must inspire voters, acknowledge key friends, and toss in some autobiography for the newly-interested. And Obama did touch on nitty-gritty subjects, such as the capital gains tax and biofuel investments.

He said he would “find ways to safely harness nuclear power,” a somewhat more receptive phrase than he typically uses for that subject.

But most of his address echoed and amplified the theme that dominated the four-day Democratic nominating convention here: George Bush.

The final and revised story can be viewed here.

Barack’s amazing speech below… you decide.

It was revealed late yesterday on NPR and on MSNBC (1:10 into the clip) today that Hillary Clinton may have in fact lost Texas, if you go by delegate count.

In the Texas primary Clinton took 51% to Obama’s 47%, which translates into 65 delegates for Clinton and 61 for Obama. A four delegate advantage. Certainly the stunning victory that Clinton claimed (insert sarcasm here).

As for the Texas caucus, with 41% of the votes counted, the state Democratic Party estimates Clinton with 30 delegates to Obama’s 37, and the Party is pretty certain those numbers will hold.

That gives Obama a total of 98 to Clinton’s 95. If that’s the case, Obama netted a 3 delegate lead in Texas, ultimately winning the state.

Unfortunately, it’s going to be an uphill battle for Obama to claim victory with the media reporting otherwise for the past 3 days. Keith Oberman mentioned it this evening on MSNBC this evening so hopefully it will gain some traction in the daily news cycle.

And as for Clinton, her campaign is threatening legal action.

I have long said that I will vigorously support whomever becomes the Democratic nominee for President. When the race came down to Hillary and Obama, I saw nothing but a win-win!

Now I am having second thoughts…

In the days leading up to today’s primary, a number of events (some covered by the media, some not so much) have given me pause. I have been reluctant to point out any negatives, but feel compelled to do so now.

1. Hillary praises McCain over Obama
2. Clinton attacks Obama’s Foreign Policy Committee experience, what about her own?
3. Clinton on 60 Minutes, parsing language on whether Obama is a Muslim, or is she really saying “He’s not Muslim, as far as I know…”
4. The infamous 3AM ad, a positively Rovian tactic if there ever was one
5. Hillary, at first, fails to reject supporters comments on Obama

It is becoming clear to me that she will do anything to get back in the race, and unfortunately is revealing cracks in her character. I am really disappointed she would campaign in this way. For me, it even brings the sincerity of that infamous tear into question.

And Hillary goes on and on about experience. She relies heavily on her time in the White House, despite not having much in the way of a security clearance. If that phone rings in the White House and it’s 3am… I hope the phone is on Bill’s side, not hers. And when comparing her record in the Senate to Obama’s, there are no substantive differences. And based on history, I think it is appropriate for Obama to draw the line between judgement, and experience.

So now I am desperately seeking Hillary, the Hillary before the acts of desperation. Considering her current standings in the polls and delegate count, I wonder if she should have saved that tear for Texas?