Congratulations to Barack Obama - the 44th President of the United States

Barack Obama 贏了美國2008年的總統大選，以349張的選舉人票（270張為當選門坎)，大敗代表共和黨總統候選人麥坎(John McCain)的149張選舉人票，成為美國建國232年來史上第一位黑人總統，創造了歷史，也讓世人見證了美國民主的成熟，人民真正以行動及堅決相信 "Yes We Can"的決心來推動國家的改變 (change)，但對遠在台灣的我們而言，民主黨執政是一件好事嗎？是否對台及對中國的政策也會有所改變嗎？這個部分留給政治名嘴去為大家解析就可以了。真正讓我守在電視機前引頸期盼的則是Barack Obama勝選感言，他當選第44任美國總統後的第一場重要演講。

這場演講維持著他一貫的誠懇、沈著及激勵人心風格，每每讓我感動到眼泛淚光，連在收看電視轉播的我都有如此強烈的感受，遑論在現場的美國支持民眾有多激動及感動了。因此今天特別要將他這場在Chicago演講的稿子及影音檔post出來，讓大家感受他演講的內容及魅力。

他一出場的幾句話，隨即振奮了人心，吸引了觀眾的全部注意力，因他先向現場民眾喊話，要那些對「在美國什麼事都有可能發生」、「美國立國精神仍存在現今」及「民主的力量」有所懷疑的人聽好了，因為「今晚的選舉結果就是答案」。而這個答案是由美國今天「大排長龍、相信這場選舉能改變一切，極力要傳達他們心聲的人」所締造的。而今天的選舉結果也傳達給世界一個重要訊息，美國不是一個分裂成支持民主黨的州(Blue State)及支持共和黨的州(Red State)的國家，而是一個 齊心團結一致的United States.

接下來他感謝此次落敗的共和黨正副總統候選人麥坎(John McCaine)的賀電，也讚揚他為國家的貢獻，更肯定他及培林 (Sarah Palin)共同在這次辛苦漫長選戰所締造的成果，雖然他今天當選了，但他會邀請他們一起為整個美國奮鬥。

除了行禮如儀地感謝競爭對手外，他更衷心感激他此次競選的搭檔 ，即剛當選的副總統Joe Biden，更不忘提起他最好的朋友、今生最愛及家庭支柱的夫人Michell Obama及２個可愛的女兒。令人不捨的是，他最愛的外婆在投票日前一天過世了，他知道她天上看著他，他今晚特別想念她，也謝謝兄弟姐妹對他的支持及愛護。同時，他也鄭重感謝他的競選團隊，為他打了一場美國歷史上最美好的選戰。然而，最重要的，他深深地由衷感謝所有那些支持他、為了他辛苦募款的選民們，不論是年輕的、年長的，捐多的，捐少的，他都提及，讓現場的人紛紛感動不已、紅了眼眶。他歸功這場勝利給所有支持他的人們，也是大家的努力，再一次讓世人見證了美國的「民有、民治、民享」(of the people, by the people, and for the people)的立國精神。

除了深深的感謝外，他也沒忘人們投票給他的目的，是為了要帶領這個國家解決伊拉克、阿富汗的戰爭問題，嚴重的經濟危機、能源短缺問題，重新找回美國人美好正直的價值，他承諾他將竭盡一切努力，不負人們對他的期望，也許有的問題無法在短時間內解決、甚至是在４年的總統任期內解決，但他承諾他會誠實面對全民，讓大家了解問題困難所在，尤其是在大家有不同意的時候。(這一段在他之前的演講也曾出現過)同時他也強調自己不只屬於投票給他的支持者，他同時會傾聽沒有投票給他的人的聲音，當全民的總統，致力於弭平這次選舉所造成的分裂及傷痕。

在演講結束前，他透過敘述一個106歲非裔女性長者今天排隊投票的故事，回顧了美國的重要歷史。因為這位長者從無法投票(因為是飽受歧視，是女性也是黑人之故)，到親自去投了今天具有歷史意義的選舉(黑人當選了總統)，她見證了經濟大蕭條，也看到了美國經濟重新站起來，更見證了二次世界大戰美國因為珍珠港事變而起身捍衛民主、柏林圍牆倒塌等重要歷史。他在講這些例子時，也一再重複他此次選舉的主軸 - Yes We Can. 再次用演講的「疊字技巧」，高亢的語調強調美國人的堅定精神及毅力，因為只要努力，沒有不可能達成的事情。這位106歲的長者見證了美國歷史上的光明及黑暗，而因為前人的努力及付出，才有今日的美國，留給現今美國人民許多美好的事物及資產，歐巴馬利用這個例子呼籲大家團結一致，重新找回美國精神及基本價值，因為這是重要的一刻，屬於大家的一刻，大家應好好思考能怎麼做才能像祖先一樣，也留給下一代美好、值得驕傲的一切。

他的演講如同往昔，內容為融合他以前的演講重要論點而成，但不失誠懇，讓現場聆聽民眾又感動又激動，且以身為美國人為榮。

接下來，就讓我們來看看他勝選的感言，有興趣的人，可參考下面的演講全稿，真的寫得很棒！再次讓人感受到他演講的群眾魅力及威力。



歐巴馬勝選感言全文

Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.
Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next First Lady Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure. To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America. To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way. To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth. This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, 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. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education. There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, 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.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other. Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.

Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. " And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.