Obama Make History, The Black US President

Democrat Barack Obama, fresh from celebrations of his historic election as the first black U.S. president, turned Wednesday to the sobering challenges of leading a country grappling with two wars abroad and fears of a recession at home.
Obama easily defeated Republican John McCain in a triumph that reflected Americans' weariness with eight years of Bush administration rule, and a marked distancing from the country's history of racial discord.

Obama's first task will be to begin building _ over the next 2 1/2 months _ a Democratic administration that will help him make good on the promises of reform and renewal that carried him to the White House.

Retired Gen. Colin Powell, a black Republican, called the senator's victory "a very very historic occasion," and predicted that Obama would be "a president for all America."

On Wednesday, the president-elect took a break to escort his two daughters to school and visit a gym. But his new responsibilities are approaching fast.

Obama offered Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel the job of White House chief of staff Wednesday, aides told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Top intelligence officials are scheduled to begin meeting with Obama for classified daily briefings Thursday.

In a speech to 240,000 supporters on election night, Obama acknowledged the enormous difficulties _ domestic and international _ he faces.

"We know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime _ two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century," Obama said.

"We may not get there in one year or even in one term," he said. "But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there."

In electing Obama, the son of black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas, American voters broke with the country's sad history of racial divisions.

Obama made little of his race throughout the election season. But his victory was clearly a milestone moment, testified to by the tears on the faces of black and white supporters, alike. Even opponents noted the significance.

President George W. Bush, speaking in the White House, pledged "complete cooperation" in the transition and called Obama's victory a "triumph of the American story." Condoleezza Rice, the U.S.'s black secretary of state, said she was "especially proud" that Obama was elected.

Obama tore up the U.S. political map in beating McCain, a veteran Republican senator who campaigned on his record as a maverick and former Vietnam prisoner of war.

Working against the Republican, in what proved to be the longest, most expensive and most riveting presidential contest in memory, was Bush's legacy. Bush, toward the end of his term, was almost as unpopular at home as he is abroad.

His win was predicated on a broad cross-section of Americans. While winning among independents, exit poll results showed his core supporters also included moderates, liberals, people with postgraduate degrees and those who seldom attend religious services. In addition unmarried women, nearly all blacks and two thirds of Hispanics. Young whites also factored in.

It was a grouping that resonated around the world _ reflecting America's promise of mulitculturalism_ and key American allies welcomed Obama's election.

"At a time when we have to confront immense challenges together, your election raises great hopes in France, in Europe and in the rest of the world," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a letter to Obama.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Obama's election a historic opportunity for a new era of American cooperation in solving the world's problems.

The Republican administration had often criticized the U.N., and world leaders have blasted what they called Bush's determination to act unilaterally.

Obama's choice as vice president, Sen. Joseph Biden, predicted during the campaign that as president, Obama would be tested by a foreign power.

Russia on Wednesday signaled that it may do so. President Dmitry Medvedev said his country would deploy short-range missiles close to its borders with NATO countries Poland and Lithuania, in response to U.S. plans for a missile defense system in Europe.

Medvedev, in a speech, blamed the U.S. for the global financial crisis and for raising global tensions.

Later, he sent a formally-worded telegram saying there is "solid positive potential" for the election to improve strained relations between Washington, but only if Obama engages in constructive dialogue.

In Afghanistan, where villagers said the U.S. bombed a wedding party and killed 37 people, President Hamid Karzai said: "This is my first demand of the new president of the United States _ to put an end to civilian casualties."

When Obama takes office Jan. 20 as the 44th U.S. president, he may face more difficult challenges than any new U.S. president since Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

But he will do so with many allies in Congress, as the Democrats expanded their majorities in both the U.S. House and Senate. And for now he has broad popular support.

Under the American system, voters cast ballots for small slates of electors from each state, who in turn vote for the president. Obama carried 359 electoral votes _ well above the 270 needed to claim victory. McCain, meanwhile, won 162. Two states were still too close to call.

With most U.S. precincts tallied, Obama led McCain with 52.3 percent of the popular vote compared to 46.4 percent. He was the first Democrat to receive more than half of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Voter turnout, still being counted, was expected to shatter records.

Supporters welcomed Obama's victory with delirious celebrations on public squares and in living rooms across the U.S. and abroad.

In Washington, hundreds took to the streets near the White House, carrying balloons, banging drums and chanting "Bush is gone!"

McCain called to concede defeat on election night. "The American people have spoken, and spoken clearly," McCain told disappointed supporters in Arizona. With grace and poise, he pledged to do "all in my power" to help the new president.

Obama's victory marked the rise of a new generation of American leadership, after 16 years of presidents who came of age during the Vietnam War era. Obama. 47, was still a child when most U.S. troops withdrew.

Obama is expected to bring a new style and tone in American foreign policy.

The 47-year-old Illinois senator has said he will try to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq in 16 months and has called for reaching out to adversaries, such as Iran and Cuba. He wants to close the Guantanamo Bay prison and favors steps to reduce global warming.

He is hugely popular abroad. Part of his appeal is his multicultural heritage: Besides his Kenyan father, he has a half-sister who is the daughter of an Indonesian.

In his campaign, Obama mined a deep vein of discontent with the status quo. He promised to heal divisions and end the partisan rancor that marks American politics, while building a phenomenal political organization and waging a nearly flawless 21-month campaign for the White House.

His national political debut was an electrifying speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, when he made his first run for the Senate. He offered a message of unity to a country mired in partisan anger.

Throughout his campaign, Obama was the target of false rumors questioning his religious views, his ethnicity and his patriotism.

McCain, 72, was a tough rival for Obama. He is widely admired for his enduring 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. His reputation as a maverick gave Republicans hopes of winning over independents and moderate Democrats.

He tried without success to portray Obama as too radical and inexperienced, casting him as an advocate of high taxes and socialism.

McCain's choice for running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, energized much of the Republican base. But her lack of experience and poor performance in interviews worried many voters.