Last night my friends here in Honduras were all calling me to congratulate me on the victory of Obama.  This morning the same...hugs and kisses and cheers.  Rosario said to me that she told her children last night: "there are no more excuses- YOUR dreams can come true.  YOU can be whatever you want to be. This changes everything"  Being in this country and seeing what has happened in the United States from here really is an experience I would not miss for anything.  The election of Obama has said to the world that the American dream is real, it can come true, it is not a myth.  I have never been as proud of my country as I am right now.
 
I know many of you hold different political views than those of us here in Progreso and that is fine.  Everyone has their own perspective on politics, religion and a host of other issues.  But I know too that you join the entire world in celebrating this remarkable achievement of this remarkable man.  We will now come together and rebuild the country, the relationships with the rest of the world and move ahead into the future without fear.
 
Leaving aside politics, I want to focus on the significance to me of having a man of color ascend to the Presidency.  This is a historic shift that cannot be overestimated.  This changes everything.
 
8 years ago, a black man was trying to get to the Dem Party political convention to give a speech.  He could not find one car rental company which would rent him a car.  Not one.  He was a black man in America and had dealt with this sort of discrimination all his life.  Last night that same man was elected President of the United States.  This changes everything.
 
Last night, Jesse Jackson stood in Grant Park with tears streaming down his face.  40 years ago he stood on a balcony with tears streaming down his face as he saw his mentor Martin Luther King Jr. murdered.  Last night he watched Obama speak as President-elect of the United States.  This changes everything.
 
All across the United States children of various colors now KNOW that the American dream is real, it is not a myth, it is not a lie.  It is real and they can each be whatever they dream to be, they can aspire to the highest level of achievement, they can work hard, study hard and believe in themselves and in their country.  This changes everything.
 
Obama did not win because he is black.  He won because he ran a fantastic campaign the likes of which has never been seen before.  He won because most Americans believed in his message, liked what they saw and heard and chose hope and change.  Now ALL Americans will come together to work to deal with the problems we face.  We have incredible challenges ahead of us and the only way they are going to be dealt with is by sacrifice and selflessness, putting the needs of the country and the world as our top priority.  But by voting for a Black man, the American people have shown that they and their culture has grown and matured in a way that I find incredible.  This changes everything.
 
Watching the results last night was one of the proudest and happiest moments of my life.  Nina and Maria and I were cheering and laughing and crying.  (Francie of course slept thru it all!)  My children, of all different colors, now can understand.  This changes everything.
 
Someone said last night on CNN:  Rosa Parks sat so that Martin Luther King, Jr. could walk, so that Obama could run ....so that America could fly.
 
America has at long last thrown off it's history of racism and slavery.  It has chosen a new path, one of true equality and fairness, it has at long last affirmed that ALL men are created equal.  Now, of course, things are not magically going to be perfect.  We still have a long way to go on many fronts.  But, in my heart of hearts, I believe that this changes everything.  God bless the United States of America and God bless and protect President Barak Hussein OBAMA!