President-Elect Barack Obama!

Last night America delivered an overwhelming victory for Barack Obama. Despite the odds, he was able to bring together a majority of American voters, black and white, Hispanic and Asian, young and old, rich and poor to win a historic election. The son of a Kenyan foreign student and a white woman from Kansas. He grew up in Hawaii, spent time in Indonesia. Only four years ago he was a state senator from Illinois and today he is President-Elect of the United States. Just forty-three years after the passage of the voting rights act, which guaranteed the vote to blacks, an African-American is President of the United States. The racial divide is not yet completely bridged. We saw racism's ugly head raise itself during the election. But, America has moved forward in a tremendous way.

The world was watching and they are hopeful. These are difficult times. But they are times that allow for a great President to emerge. Everything that Obama has said and done suggests that he doesn't want to be simply a successful President. He wants to be a great President. We need a great President right now. I am hopeful and prayerful for him and for our nation. Indeed, I'm hopeful for the world in which we live. A new day has dawned -- now it's time for us as the American people to get busy and make a difference. Obama's message throughout this campaign has been simply this -- change will happen only as we the people put aside our differences and join together in a cause bigger than any one of us.

Am I excited? I am ecstatic. I've been an Obama supporter from day one. And that support has born its fruit!!

Finally, I want to commend John McCain for his gracious and healing concession speech. He pledged his support for Obama and called for his supporters to do the same. My prayer is that his supporters will do just that.