Also posted at www.modernprogressivekhmer.blogspot.com Remember the feeling of love and proud of America you had after the 9/11 attack. That was the kind of feeling I had after America elected its new president. As I was anxiously waiting for the president elect to give his speech, I was very proud of Sen. McCain who did his very best in what was an up hill battle for his concession remark earlier.
I thought Sen. McCain was very gracious in his remark and was true to himself in recognizing this amazing moment in American history. Although I was disappointed in his campaign in the way in which it was conducted, Sen. McCain ended his campaign with a high note for which I will always respect the senator for his straight talks, independent spirit, and for being a true American hero. The president elect was remarkable in his own way when he delivered a sobering remark as he recognized the challenges America is facing. Thus far, American lost 1.2 million jobs, and the unemployment rate is the highest in 14 years at 6.5%. The housing crisis impacts every community. Cambodian Americans are not immune to this problem. I know of friends and relatives who had to walk away from their homes for which they worked hard to buy for their families. Politically speaking, the country is ready for change. After eight years of the republican administration and six years of the republican Congress, the country was overwhelmingly voted for change. With President George W. Bush’s approval rate is at 28% only better than that of Richard Nixon at 24% in the 70s, the electoral votes were lopsided with 364 votes for Sen. Barrack Obama and 163 votes for Sen. John McCain. Sen. Obama only needed 270 votes to win. My eyes were sweltering with tear as I witnessed this special moment of history. The notion that any one regardless of his/her background, race, and religious belief can aspire and obtain to the highest office in the nation moved me in a profound way that words cannot describe. My young son asked me what the meaning of Sen. Obama being elected as president was. I told him that this election gives all minorities hope and inspiration. I often told my son that although we are minorities in this country, the sky is the limit. My words are much truer today than they are before the election. As I worked the precincts and knocked on doors encouraging people to go out to vote, I could not help but admiring the genius of American political system. The notion that Americans have an opportunity to change their leaders every four years and that the transition of power is done in a peaceful manner gives me hope and inspiration that perhaps some day Cambodia will adopt term limit and will have a chance to participate in the truly free and fair election. America has come a long way. For this reason, I love America even much more. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
