Credit: Photo by Richard Whittaker

It’s strange being in the oddly insulated press room: It seems that the Democrats in the upstairs foyer at the Driskill were closer to the beat of the electoral heart than the media, who are looking into the right-brain of ballots counted and precincts closed.

Yet the roar that rippled through the walls as the big screen TVs showed footage of the celebrations in Kenya as Obama took Virginia showed the real global significance. America is the center of the free world, and eyes all over the world have been set on this election. A McCain victory would have re-enforced the idea of a closed-off nation, and would have closed many diplomatic doors. An Obama presidency is a sign again that America can be the angel of everyone’s better nature.

Seriously, everyone would have stopped talking to the US.

This article appears in John McCain.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.