Uachtarán Obama

A big hour ahead the lads say on CNN. Aren't they right that it would be magic if Hawaii put him over the top to win particularly after his Gran's death yesterday. And how right this latest comment about how amazing a path it is over 5 years to go from hardly known senate candidate to President of the US. Finally Gloria is honest enough to say that age was a factor and the mad choice of Sarah Palin. Maybe the Irish media including Myers and George Hook will admit that she's a head-case.

Yahoo-Virginia goes Democrat after 44 years. That's a real breakthrough.

Yeeees-CNN call it for Obama-he's the New President of the most powerful country of the world. 44 years after the murder of Martin Luther King it has happened. All the racist naysayers and cynics have got their answer and our faith in humanity is restored. Here's to the US reclaiming its place in decency and humanity. Tears in my eyes but feck it. The opnly day that compares with this night was Mandela's release. Well done to great people like Samantha Power who knew how great this man is.

A Úachtaráin Obama, fáilte romhat agus go n-eiri leat!

Change in the air-Obama does it in Iowa

This politics thing is insane. Here I am, back from the Kingdom, having had a politics free fortnight and a great time with Mar and the kids and my parents. Yet here I am at almost three in the morning, watching the intrigue of politics three thousand miles away. From the day three years ago when I picked up Barack Obama's book in an airport in San Francicso, I've been hugely excited by this extraordinary young African American Democrat. I have believed that he can give Hilary Clinton a real run for her money in the Democratic primaries.

In the last ten minutes it's becoming a reality. Both CNN and our beloved Fox News have just called the state for Obama, with an astonishing 7% lead over John Edwards and Clinton. He now has 37%, to 30% each for the others. The turnout is huge, and a real indication of hope is that the number of young people turing out is the best in years.

On RTE's Primetime programme tonight, Samantha Power, that magical Irish woman who packed St. Canice's Cathedral in August called it like this. The infectious enthisiasm she had then and now may just prove right. For those of us enthusiastic about how new ideas and a lack of sticking with the old ways of doing things in politics, a guy who has only been a Senator for three years but who's now threateningfto become the US' first ever black President breathes life into politics. Roll on New Hampshire!

Addicted to Politics

Hi, my name is Seán and I'm addicted to politics! I've just been proclaimed mad by my wife who's witnessing me following the inner workings of the US House and Senate elections late into the night. The fact that we can get excited by exit polls from Virginia, Alaska and Vermont shows how much of an influence this country's politics has on all our lives. Hopefully it will be a good night for the Democrats, and Bush will lose control of both houses. This will see the start hopefully of a push to see the Presidency return to the Democrats in 2008.

My favourite candidate is Illinois Senator Barack Obama, whose star is on the rise in the party and the country and who is a good bet for America's first black President. His book, 'Dreams from my Father' is one of the best reads I have ever had, and he may just make up a dream ticket with Hillary Clinton, with her becoming the first woman VP hopefully.

One of the interesting things about US politics thesee days is the impact of the net and blogging in particular. I'm now watching Howard Dean on MSNBC, a man who made huge use of blogging in the run-up to the last Presidential election. Blogging parties are all the rage tonight including one hosted by CNN-how about it RTÉ during next summer's election? We wouldn't mind sipping a few glasses of vino in Donnybrook- I'm actually enjoying Los Robles, a wonderful Fair Trade wine from Chilé as we speak-God Bless Superquinn!

By the way have a look at one of the better US blogs I've seen, which amazingly is called Crooks and Liars- Nothing to do with politics surely!