You may have even thought you were watching an episode of Saturday Night Live before reality kicked in and that yes, you had just seen breaking news on TV. And that yes, Bush, at 62, still has catlike reflexes and managed to avoid both shoes. The conference was held in Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki’s office to mark the signing of a security agreement.

Several news reports explained that in Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect. “This is the farewell kiss, you dog,” Al Zeidi reportedly yelled at Bush in Arabic. In the Twittersphere, that sentiment may be shared by an even greater number – with thousands of ‘tweets’ expressing their desires to throw their very shoes – and other inanimate objects – at the outgoing 43rd US president.

David Hughes, from Glasgow, Scotland, said simply:

“If I had a shoe, I would throw it at Bush too.”

Rami Ismail, from the Netherlands, said:

“An Iraqi decided to throw a shoe at Bush during a conference. I can only imagine how sad fundamentalists are that the shoe wasn't a grenade.”

Several others commented on Bush’s reflexes and his shrugging the incident off, including Australian Kyle Buttress, who said:

“Bush had some good ducking and weaving action there during the Shoe toss… Good to see he didn't turn his back or anything.”

Erik Rasmussen, in Spain, said:

“This video of Bush & the shoe was the lead story on the news in Spain. Very telling, really, of his “accomplishments”. Needed a bloody nose.”

The Blogosphere is sure to come up with more reactions with each passing hour, but Englishman Georgie Hammerton was one of the quick ones to blog about the incident on My Bloggy Wog.

“I know this isn’t funny.. but, well it is isn’t it?

“On a side note; is this what passes for journalism in the US!? *shudder*. BBC, I salute you!”

Malaysian blogger Shamsul Yunos noted how the media covered the incident.

“If you watch CNN or BBC, they have put a fantastic spin on the story. It goes something like this: ‘Sure the image of someone throwing a shoe at Bush is bad but the fact that the man lived to tell the tale shows just how free Iraq is right now.’

“Great.

“The BBC interviewed people on the ground and the few Iraqis they met agreed with the shoe thrower in wanting Bush and the Americans out of their country.

“Apparently the white house doesn't think the image will seriously damage Bush's legacy.

“So what exactly is his legacy? Leaving a lot of mess behind? I'm sure that legacy is only being reinforced by the shoe throwing incident.”

Yunos was one of the few bloggers I came across that noted that Al Zeidi, the now well known shoe-attacker, had covered events in Sadr City extensively.

“(He) had lost several relatives in the conflict. He was also recently kidnapped and tortured in a three-day ordeal.”

Chicago-based Indian blogger Saqib Salman Shafi in his blog SaqibSaab questioned what Al Zeidi was really trying to accomplish.

“Now, based on the fact that he was using shoes, one may ask what exactly was he trying to accomplish? Best case scenario, Bush gets a black eye or a scoffed up nose. But you know what, I feel the disgruntled journalist, along with millions across the globe, could care less at the effectiveness of his weapons of choice. It was the statement that spoke loudest. Upset with the leader of the super powerful nation of the world? Take off your jutha(shoe) and chuck it at him. I can see the internet jokes of “epic shoe maneuver,” already.

“And check out how quickly he launches the first one and then removes his other shoe (reloads) and fires away. Maybe he had them untied and ready for deployment? Or rather, perhaps he wore slip-ons or loafers that day.”

Egyptian blogger, Zeinobia, was quite sorry Al Zeidi missed Bush’s head.

“This is the news of the day , sorry the news of the week or may be even the month and the end of the year.

“Bush was having a press conference today in his surprise visit to Baghdad with Al Maliki when Muntader Al-Zeidi , a reporter threw his shoes at him. Unfortunately he missed him :(”

She continued to blog about Al Zeidi, being a correspondent for Al Baghdadia Television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt, Zeinobia said she feared for his life.

“He has entered the history, already I wish that someone tells his news now in Baghdad because I fear on his life.

“Idiot Bush of course tried made fun from the incident and said these words : All I can report is a size 10.”

And in the Philippines, someone was up late enough - or way too early - to blog about it almost immediately as it broke. Dreamer4U asked why there was so much hatred in the hearts of Iraqis for Americans and other Westerners.

“It is for sure I thought an embarrassing time for America and Iraq, now I knew how mad is the Iraqi to the American, if you know why let me know here.

“Anyway the shoes of the Iraqi reporter is size 10, Bush should be glad it didn't hit him or else he would be injured before going home in the states. Now I know “W” is good on something, he could have been a good military guy, sadly he was a very ineffective President though.

“Why is it that there are hatred in the heart of the Islam/Iraqi for the American or western people?”

Bush arrived today in Baghdad on a surprise visit — his last to Iraq as commander-in-chief — to celebrate the agreement, thank U.S. troops and meet with Iraqi leaders.

It was Bush’s fourth visit to a nation transformed by the U.S.-led war he started in 2003. It follows three weeks after Iraq’s parliament approved an accord with the U.S. that provides for the withdrawal of American troops by the end of 2011.

Rogue Economist hopes there will be “changes” as well in Brunei:

“It's official. The most powerful man on earth is now Barack Obama. This proves that nothing is impossible in this world, as long as you work (hard) for it. (Oh please God, Brunei needs someone like this to make changes!)”

Cambodia Calling reminds Obama about the challenges he will face:

“Why am I interested? Because it is everyone's business who becomes the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. The pressure on Obama will be immense. If Obama fails to deliver, it'll be a long time coming for another black president in the US.”

Return to Rai Ketak compares Obama’s victory to East Timor’s independence celebration:

“Today, phone calls and emails, online chats…All with one profoundly positive message. History does not make us. We make history. I have not felt like this since May 20, 2002. And one Timorese friend made the comparison over email as well:

“After Timorese independence, the election of Barack Obama is one of the great events of the 21st century. It does not matter what may come to pass afterwards. The great step has already been taken.”

Indonesia Anonymus wonders whether Indonesians will vote an Obama-like candidate:

“Indonesians, of course, just like many people in any other countries, are mostly for Obama. So we love Obama, no doubt about it. Now the question is: if there is an ‘obama' in our country, will we be able to spot him? Or better yet, will we vote for him?

“In Indonesia, that would make our ‘obama' half native Indonesian and half Chinese. Let's just say, our ‘obama' has a javanese mother from Solo, central Java, and an Indonesian-Chinese father with ancestors from Fujian province, China.”

GJ Jakarta notes that the world has high expectations for Obama:

“This is a huge amount of pressure for this guy, he has not only the weight of Americans’ expectations, but that of the entire world.

“The reality is there will still be a financial crisis, the USA will be in recession, there will still be soldiers dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of people will be out of work, many more will lose their homes. I know this guy didn't do that, he's not responsible, and people are just looking for a happy story, something for the future, some shining light from the dark tunnel.”

Mahaguru58 from Malaysia believes America has redeemed itself by electing Obama:

“America has redeemed itself today by electing a man whom we can all respect and honor. Just listening to him speak, gives us a sense of hope. Each word that he utters, each sentence that he proclaims, returns a sense of goodwill to America. Today, the whole world celebrates the coming of a new era.”

Obnoxious 5xmom advises Malaysian bloggers who are overjoyed by Obama’s victory to do something about Malaysia’s local problems:

“It doesn’t make sense. So many Malaysian bloggers are ooooing and ahhhaing over how Obama has won the USA election. They write so passionately about him and how he is going to bring changes to the United States and the world.

“Yet, in our very own backyard, here in beautiful Malaysia, they never even bother to do something about it. Why so over the moon with what is happening in the USA when we cannot even try to make the changes over here in our country?

“Why I don’t see them ever question our own country’s policies? Why I don’t see them ever get agitated with the things that happen over here that affects us? Why gushing over something over at the USA when we cannot even lift a finger to do something here?”

Noting that America has achieved a breakthrough after electing Obama, Lim Kit Siang bemoans the quality of race relations and nation-building in Malaysia:

“Obama’s historic breakthrough make many Malaysians ask whether it is possible for a Chinese, Indian, Kadazan to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia although the Constitution is very clear that any Malaysian citizen, regardless of race or religion can become Prime Minister.

“If such a question is asked 50 years ago, the nation’s founders would unhesitatingly answered in the positive as there is no constitutional bar - separate from the question of whether it was likely to happen.

“But if the same question is asked now, there will be strong voices (as heard in Parliament today when this question was posed) who would rise up to say no.

“Why is Malaysian race relations and nation-building going backwards in the past 50 years as compared to the historic breakthrough in race relations in the United States with Obama’s historic victory in the US presidential elections?”

Rocky's bru from Malaysia has some questions for Obama:

“Will he be able to turn around the US economy? Will he close down Guantanamo Bay? Will he stop America's holy War against Terror? I have my doubts. But who cares, uh? They say anyone after Bush would/should make a better US President, at least to the rest of the miserable world.”

The US embassy in Thailand held a mock elections in Bangkok. Guess who won in the ballots? HaPPi like a HiPPo describes the mood in Bangkok:

“In the past few days, Thai television and radio channels in Bangkok have been talking a lot about Obama and seem to have forgotten about PAD protesters. Every Thai person I know supports Obama and even the radio jockeys and news presenters love him. Soon we can expect Obama dolls and other goodies being sold on the Thai streets.”

DK from Singapore was first worried over the selection of Obama as the Democrat’s candidate:

“I must admit that I was kinda worried when I learned that Obama is the Democrat candidate instead of Hillary. My main concern was that he is a black and America might not be really for a black president yet. I’m glad I was wrong. I’m glad Obama is elected as the President of United States. And although we don’t know if he is the right person to bring USA and the world out of recession, we know that we have better chance with him in the White House.”

Stars in the making from Singapore is a supporter of McCain:

“Tears came to my eyes when I watched John McCain give his final speech of this election campaign. In my mind, John McCain should be the next President of the USA. His experience in foreign affairs & war will stand America in good stead, and to me, he is the stability that America & the world needs during these turbulent times.

“But America voted for “Change”. Obama is a good man, and will lead the country with integrity. He is a symbol of the American Dream, but how long will this dream last? Will reality bite when Obama steps into his first year in office? Will expectations be too much for him to meet?”

Obama has chosen a Filipino as his consultant on Asia Pacific issues. At midfield reacts:

“For Filipinos, we will now to see whether having a Filipina as his main consultant of Asia Pacific issues will benefit us and lead to Obama revisiting his position against the Filipino USAFFE veterans equity bill and other issues, not least of them how the war on terror is being carried out here.”

A Filipina Mom Blogger is curious about Obama’s foreign policy:

“As a Filipino, I am interested in Senator Barrack Obama’s foreign policy. In Obama, I see a president willing to reach out to world leaders, whether friend and enemy, to open dialogue and resolve differences through diplomacy rather than military engagement. After all, when did it hurt to sit down and talk to our enemies?

“An Obama election will send a signal to minorities across America and to countries around the world that the US is breaking through the racial divide, opening their hearts to people of all colors and religion.”

Tonyo Cruz asks Filipino activists to emulate Obama’s campaign strategies:

“For Filipinos, let us draw inspiration from Obama’s victory. Let us raise the call for change this early (Obama started his campaign two years ago; the next elections here will be in less than two years!), challenge the political parties, and make our issues the central issues in the presidential campaign. Of course, the Philippine political system is a totally different animal compared to the US system. But that should not be an excuse to throw out the whole Obama experience. There are plenty of lessons to learn and perhaps to also apply in our own situations.”

-It is the end of a dark circle
- It won't be easy to forget
-What will happen to Bush?
- What Bush?

Republishing the cartoon above from a local Portuguese newspaper, Diário de Notícias, Frosado is hopeful that Obama will indeed bring changes:

Como se diz aqui, Bush já não “existe”. Quanto ao futuro, só podemos esperar. Oxalá Obama consiga capitalizar o entusiasmo que conseguiu agregar à sua volta, entre os jovens e pelo mundo inteiro, para a paz e a prosperidade, tão necessárias ao mundo actual. Pessoalmente eu tenho esperança, sem grandes triunfalismos, claro.

As they have said here, Bush no longer “exists.” As for the future, we can only hope. If only Obama manages to capitalize the enthusiasm he kept around him, among young people, around the world, for peace and prosperity, so necessary in the current world. I hope so personally, with no great triumphalism though.

On the other hand, tunku from Malaysia is not very hopeful:

there is so much hope on obama that he will bring changes but knowing the zionist behind the white house administration, it won't happen.the changes will be just good for them not for the rest of the world.now we will see the real obama.

Marcos Tchôla says Obama will represent the interests of any imperialist president, regardless of whether the color of his skin is “white, brown, pink or orange.”

When it comes to Brazil, the blogger is actually worried:

Em meio a campanha e a todas as besteiras que os candidatos prometem e inventam li uma opinião do novo presidente que me deixou preocupado. Ele acredita que a Amazônia - o pulmão do mundo- é área internacional e que o Brasil não tem condições de cuidar de seus interesses sozinho. Com isso ele já antecipa de forma sutil, mas real, o desejo de fincar pé - através de uma base militar na região- para proteger que acha ser dele também. Há algum tempo atrás cicurlava na internet um e-mail que mostrava que nos livros americanos a área da floresta não aparecia pertecente ao Brasil. Esse fato foi no governo Bush!

During the campaign and among all the nonsense that candidates promise and come up with, I read a viewpoint of the new president that got me worried. He believes that the Amazon - the lungs of the world - is an international area and that Brazil is unable to care for it on its own. With this, he anticipates a subtle but real desire to set his foot in, through a military base in the region, to protect the area he believes belongs to him too. Some time ago there was an email making the rounds on the Internet showing that in American books, the forest did not belong to Brazil. This was during the Bush administration!

Green activist and writer and economist from the UK, Derek Wall asks whether things will get better under an Obama presidency.

Well now he has won my fear is that he will disappoint ‘hope', I remember an inspiring young politician who over turned right wing rule and promised that ‘things can only get better', he never convinced me but if there had been a blog o sphere the bloggers would have worshipped him. Obama is no Tony Blair, however my fear is that he will have neither the intention nor the power to break with neo-liberalism, sadly the American dream which is pretty much every one else nightmare will continue…I hope I am wrong!

From Thailand, Jing Reed says that the U.S. and the entire world have at least one reason to celebrate this victory - it is the end of the Bush Era:

Tonight's victory proclaims the end of the dark years of the Bush regression. Obama's victory speech was inspiring and eloquent, as befitting a President of the U.S.

Carlos Serra, from Mozambique, had predicted Obama's victory and now predicts changes:

os fatalistas estruturais dirão que nada irá mudar na história americana, que Obama será, apenas, mais um presidente ao serviço do Capital e do predadorismo militar. Os optimistas estruturais dirão que muita coisa irá mudar, que Obama irá introduzir uma página substancial de Estado social no livro do neo-liberalismo e reduzir o predadorismo. Mas escutem: nunca a história avança com as grandes coisas, mas com as pequenas. A história muda quando, no sovaco da vida, germinou uma diferença, pequena que seja. E Obama é essa diferença, a sua eleição foi e é essa diferença. Ele vai ser uma diagonal entre as duas teses. Pouco a pouco, contra racistas e racializantes. Com África inteira dentro dele, cumprindo seu destino queniano. N'Kosi sikeleli Africa!

The structural fatalistic people will say that nothing will change in American history, that Obama is, simply, another chairman to serve the capital and military predators. The structural optimists will say that many things will change, that Obama will introduce a substantial page of the welfare state in the book of neo-liberalism and reduce predators. But listen: history never moves with the big things but with the small ones. History changes when, in the armpit of life, a seed of difference germinates, even if a small one. And Obama is this difference, his election was and is that difference. He will be a diagonal between the two theses. Little by little, against racists and racialists. With the whole Africa inside of him, fulfilling his Kenyan destiny. N'Kosi sikeleli Africa!

Malaysian blogger Kay Peng celebrated the news and comments on the sights around him.

“Earlier at Colorado Springs, I visited several election posts and had a chance to speak to a significant black activist from the county, senior pastor Rev. James McMearn. Rev. McMearn believes other African American leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson have made it possible for Obama to come this far. He acknowledges the transformational effect of Obama's election as the 44th President of USA.

His observation cannot be more accurate. At the Obama party, an African American woman rushed up to hug me after it was obvious that Obama has clinched the presidency. People of all ethnicity shed their tears of joy together and exchanged hugs and kisses. This is a true transformation and it has started tonight.

It is undeniable that this election is ground breaking for the United States of America. It has mobilises and motivates more Americans than any other elections in the history of American politics. He is the first African American president and the first African American presidential candidate who is able to garner massive support from across ethnicity, creed and gender.”

Peng further analyzes what contributed to President-Elect Obama’s win.

“here are several; his personality, strategy, consistency and the current political environment.

Obama's cool headed approach and demeanour was exclusively identified as an important contributor to him being seen as more presidential than his hot headed opponent.

McCain's attack on Obama lack of experience backfired when he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. Like I have said in my previous post, the nomination of Palin will become a case study of poor political decision for many more months to come.

There is a valuable lesson for McCain to bring home from this historic contest. Do not ignore the influence and support of a growing middle ground. Many staunch republican supporters (Reagan Republicans) have deserted his campaign for moving to the extreme right of his party.

Obama's campaign is set to become a model for all election campaigns in the future. Many aspects of his campaigns will be carefully studied and copied in the future - from fund raising, organisation to his consistent political messages. The most unique part of his campaign is the spirit itself. The way Obama was able to move and motivate his supporters to be part of his Change movement is something not easily replicated. It comes from the heart.”

Indonesian blogger, Maman, comments on the power of one particular word.

“How big is the power of HOPE….don't forget, never lost the fate on the hope you have, hope is actually the biggest power you could ever have in you.
Salute for President Obama…..”

In another post, the blogger comments on what the win means for America.

“Young and charismatic but with little experience on the national level, Obama smashed through racial barriers and easily defeated Republican John McCain to become the first African-American destined to sit in the Oval Office, America's 44th president. He was the first Democrat to receive more than 50 percent of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.”

And in the Philippines, PatricioMangubat, writes about the President-Elect’s acceptance speech that drew thousands in Chicago.

“Democratic candidate Barack Obama has just been elected the 44th U.S. President. I just finished watching Obama deliver his acceptance speech. It was a speech that I think would be the subject of study and talk for years. It’s a speech that encapsulated what Americans really hope their government would do for them–unite them and rebuild their nation from the damages wrought by years of excesses.

Truly, that speech was more than presidential. It was the most ideal speech ever to be made by a U.S. president. Faced with crises and threats of monumental proportions, Barack Obama said the right things at the right time–change can only happen, if Americans unite behind government.”

PatricioMangubat then comments on the magical “hope” word.

“Obama’s message is as clear as the summer’s day–hope and change rest in every American. It’s a message of hope, I think, not just for Americans, but also for Filipinos.

Those who hope for a better life under a better government–despair not. Evermore, Filipinos should hope that someone in the present generation would stand up and provide what we truly need–a rallying cry and a true leader who’ll put our house in order.”

Yesterday, CNN showed newsreels of the mood at the hometown of Obama's late father in Africa. Needless to say, villagers in Kenya are already partying. After all, a win for Obama will only create history in USA but also Kenya. An African-America President, just imagine.

But actually, the celebration mood is not only felt in Kenya or Africa. Asians too root for Obama, especially Indonesia where Barack's step father came from and where Barack spent a few years of his childhood.

But it's not just the Indonesians who are celebrating - their neighbours in Malaysia too. (Both Indonesia and Malaysia are in South East Asia.) This is because Barack's half-sister from Indonesia is married to a Malaysian or to be exact a Sabahan (East Malaysian in Borneo, 3rd largest island in the world).

Asian women also feel that American women should not vote for McCain just because his running mate is a lady. This is because, they say, McCain dumped his once beautiful and sexy wife after she became disfigured in an accident. He left her for a wealthy woman, they pointed out. “If McCain can betray his wife despite his church vows of ‘in good and bad times' and 'till death do us apart', what wouldn't he do to the Americans if he is elected President,”they asked.

Well, Americans, the choice is yours. You are supposed to be wise.

1. Republicans didn’t want the crown

Cuban blogger Tomás Estrada-Palma writes in his self-titled blog that the Republican Party is throwing the towel and has been.

“I know many Cuban exiles are displeased with me for not supporting McCain. But they should be more angry with the Republican Party hacks for throwing Mac under the election bus. I was suspicious when the Republican Party leadership promoted McCain's candidacy after they use to hate him. Then they got him Sarah Palin as a running mate and I became more curious. Does the Republican Party leadership want McCain to lose? It sure seemed odd.”

He further states that the Republican Party doesn’t want the leadership position because of the current state of the nation and further compares the U.S. to Cuba.

“No, the Republican Party elite does not want the presidency next go around. They know how bad the economy really is and how bad things are going to be next year and beyond. They feel it is better for the long term to have Obama in the hot seat, especially since he is not an American citizen and has committed a felony by misrepresenting his place of birth to hide the fact that he is unqualified constitutionally to hold the office of the presidency. I know this to be a fact because rather than just producing a birth certificate to settle the court challenge Obama and the Democrat party have quashed the suit on technicalities. But the case will go forward next year causing a Constitutional crisis along side the economic one we face.

So plan on chaos for next year and beyond with a weak, illegal president. The Republican party leadership thinks they have laid the foundation for the future of the GOP. But the real bosses, the international bankers, know they are right on schedule to divide and finally break up America into smaller, more manageable pieces. Cuban exiles should have been able to recognize these things but evidently they have learned nothing from the Castro experience.”

2. American conservative race V. Canadian conservative race

In another comparison, canworldjon, compares the tactics used in Canada’s Conservative Party presidential campaign versus that of America’s Republican Party.

“The Canadian election is now done, but for many observers, the political strategies of the different parties remain raw in our minds. The Conservative tact of defining Liberal leader Stephane Dion as too “weak” to be a leader, and their attack on his proposed Green Shift plan as a “tax grab” was by all measures successful. So much so, that Dion cited the Conservative misinformation campaign as a key reason for his decision to resign as Liberal leader.

I want to focus, in particular, on Conservative Leader Stephen Harper’s attacks on Dion’s Green Shift proposal– a policy, put in (overly) simple terms, to shift tax burdens onto polluting behavior. Harper, however, redefined the Green Shift policy via “scare tactics” focusing on Dion’s supposed latent socialism. The Green Shift was not an environmental policy, declared Harper, but a “hidden agenda” to tax everything in the country. In fact, Harper consistently stumped that the Green Shift was a secret socialist-style redistribution program.”

He then throws in the U.S. comparisons:

“Interestingly, here in the United States, the McCain-Palin campaign for the 2008 presidency have recently settled on a line of attack ominously similar to Harper’s. After toying with several different “scare” attacks over the last few weeks — including VP candidate Sarah Palin’s base assertion that Senator Obama has a history of “palling around with terrorists” — McCain and Palin have likewise focused on Obama’s supposed hidden socialism. Seizing on remarks Obama made to a voter now known as “Joe the Plumber”, that Obama, with is tax plan, wished to “spread the wealth around”, the GOP have declared Obama a closet socialist wanting to impose wealth “redistribution” on America.”

Canworldjon then writes that the same tactics are having different outcomes because of the American perception on the idealogy of socialism.

“Commonsense tells us that in Canada, a country with a greater affinity for socialized programs like universal healthcare, such scare tactics alluding to secretive socialist agendas would be less effective; conversely, such attacks should more effective in the United States, with its staunchly anti-socialist historical tendency. Ironically, however, the Republican attacks (unlike Harper’s election win) have been largely ineffective: the Obama-Biden campaign is widening its lead over the Republican ticket.

Is this one of those great inexplicable electoral ironies? Or perhaps evidence that certain communications strategies are ineffectual, given broader social, political or economic currents (such has concern among Americans that the Republican party has mismanaged the country’s finances)?”

3. According to the pundits…

The third fave is by Malaysian blogger Khoo Kay Peng, who writes about the American political pundits and their analysis of the election.

“Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. who is the president and CEO of the American Gaming Association and co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, predicts Obama's overwhelming victory. Yes, this is the commission which organises the presidential and vice-presidential debates. He has conducted 22 of them ever since. Another prominent personality, Governor James Blanchard (pic) who is a former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and a decorated diplomat predicted a big win for Obama too.

According to Governor Blanchard, economy is the biggest single issue in this election. Not national security. Not Iraq. National security is a key strength of McCain. Average Americans are worried about jobs, lay-offs and keeping their homes. Hence, most of them are looking for who can best manage their economy.

Clearly, the financial meltdown in Wall Street is not favouring McCain. Naturally, most Americans are blaming Bush for lack of urgency to arrest the problem when Lehman Brothers went under.”

However, Peng adds that “Obamania” can still end.

“Obamania is really sweeping US like a wild fire. Can he be stopped? According to the speakers, yes. If there is an incident which threatens national security it may force American voters to rethink their choice. Apparently, the terrorists would prefer a hawkish president such as Bush to help keep them in business.

Can Obama make it? Or will McCain pip him from behind? Stay tuned!”

What are your thoughts on these three faves? Did the Republican Party give up before the race began? Is socialism really bad? And, does McCain still have a chance?

“The “New Organizers” have succeeded in building what many netroots-oriented campaigners have been dreaming about for a decade… [They] have undogmatically mixed timeless traditions and discipline of good organizing with new technologies of decentralization and self-organization.”

He compares and contrasts what’s going on now at grassroots level with what happened in 2004:

“The Ohio campaign is attempting to build teams in 1,231 campaign-defined “neighborhoods,” each covering eight to ten precincts. They are targeting virtually every inhabited square mile of the state. The campaign claimed to have teams in 65% of neighborhoods when I visited in early September. That’s risen to 85% coverage at press time—and they are shooting for 100%. In contrast, the Kerry campaign effectively wrote off rural counties, and completely abandoned them in the final few weeks of the campaign in a last minute all-in shift to the cities…

[An organizer says:] ‘Everyone who goes out canvassing comes back with at least one story of someone they impacted. The team leaders are trained to give people time to tell those stories, and so everyone gets a sense of progress and they learn from each other how to be more effective next time.’

That’s a totally different picture than what I saw in scores of Kerry offices in 2004: crowds of canvassers receiving minimal instruction before being sent to an unfamiliar neighborhood and rarely getting the chance to debrief with others as a group.”

It’s quite incredible how effective the Obama camp has been on this front. Coupled with the help of the blogosphere, they’ve truly managed to inspire and harness the power of both ‘real’ people on the ground, and the ‘virtual’ community in the new media (and I guess this site is testament to that!).

I was in Malaysia at the start of this year, and saw the ruling right-wing coalition there lose control of state after state in the general election. They’d been in power for 50 (count ‘em!) years, and the election result was an utter shock - to both the incumbents and the victorious young and/or left-of-centre politicians and supporters. I’ve been thinking about what happened there during various points of this American election, because one of the reasons why the Malaysian government lost so many seats was that they controlled the old media - TV, newspapers - but not the new. Turns out the opposition had been rallying support and getting out the vote (as well as getting people out for rallies) via text messages, blogs and websites. They had been doing the grassroots work - and took absolutely nothing for granted - and the result was an overwhelming rejection of the old regime by the young and the left, whose power (and feelings) had finally been harnessed by the use of new media. The excitement was incredible on the night of the election, as news started to spread (via that new media, of course!) of the sweeping changes happening across the country… and I’m imagining a similar thing could very well happen in America on the night of November 4th.

Jennie S. Bev is proud of Obama. She lived in the same district where Obama stayed in Jakarta:

“Both Barack Obama and I once lived and grew up in the Menteng district of Central Jakarta. He went to SD Negeri 1 Menteng, while I went to Saint Theresia. Both schools were within a few minutes drive from each other, but of course unless time was a Mobius strip, we would not have met each other.

“I am proud of him, not just because we shared some commonalities in our upbringing, but because we believe in the promise of the future and that together we have the capacity and the courage to make meaningful changes.”

Asri Wijayanti from Indonesia is now in the U.S., and is wondering why there are few election posters in the streets:

“I was thinking, that the Americans were so fascinated, as much as I was, about this election. I imagined the stacks of posters and banners all the way, as crowded as it is in Indonesia at the campaign phase, but I was wrong.

“It was pretty surprising for me to see NOTHING related to the national election on the way. No photos of the candidates, no posters, no banners, nothing. I walked through the bus stops, campus corridors, downtown area, wondering. Why? Is it because everybody knows Obama and McCain so well? But are the people sure that they are going to vote?”

Then she notes the lack of voters' education in media:

“I then learned that voter education is something rare in national media. I watched news channels, and I hardly see neutral electoral ads, or the ads that merely encourage people to register and cast their vote. Instead, compared to the dynamics in Indonesian election, the voter education activities in United States, in my eyes looks like underground phenomenon, the off-mainstream media programs, as the channels are more interested in the political waves itself then the encouragement to the people to be aware of their political rights.”

Patricio Mangubat from the Philippines is curious about Obama's anti-terror platform in the Asia-Pacific region:

“Obama has yet to address the increasing problems of terrorism in the Asia-Pacific region. We presume that Obama will continue the existing US policy against terror in the region, yet, up to what extent? Yes, anti-terror campaigns will definitely continue under either an Obama or a McCain presidency, but who'll be more vigilant and more vigorous in chasing after these Islamic terrorists? Given the record of Obama, will he be implementing a “softer” approach to this global menace?”

Khoo Kay Peng from Malaysia recognizes the need for politicians to show decisive leadership in times of crisis:

“US and Malaysia are facing the serious problem - but of different magnitude - with their domestic economy. It is probably much worse in the US than here. But there is a stark difference in the way politicians from both sides responded to the problem…We need politicians to show leadership during difficult times. Here in Malaysia, politicians busy jostling for positions.”

Asian Americans comprise a significant number in the United States. Who will win the Asian American vote? Jay encourages Cambodian Americans to actively participate in the election process. Brain Bang advises the Democrats on how to win the Filipino-American vote. Lao Voices highlights the poor economic situation of Lao Americans to argue against another Republican presidency:

“The situation for Lao Americans is far worse. According to the 2000 census, Lao Americans obtained a per capita (per person 25+) income of less than $12,000! Ironically, this is almost one tenth of the threshold where they benefit more from Republicans. Most will never make the Rep honey pot in their lifetime. More than one third of the Lao Americans even live below the poverty line. An estimated 98.5% of all Lao Americans will pay more taxes under McCain than under Obama. Go figure.”

Ridz.sg from Singapore is obviously not a fan of Vice President candidate Sarah Palin:

“Watching Sarah Palin is worrying though because the more I listen to what she has to say, the more of a joke she becomes to me. She evades every damn question. Wrong. She doesn’t even evade. She just talks about some other point and completely ignores the original question.”

On the other hand, CK's Musings is supporting Palin:

“Palin has struggled all her life, so I'm sure she'll understand the struggles the common people are going through when she is in the White House. She also speaks better and I don't feel like she's talking down to me. Biden and Obama are just too elitist, they make me feel like I'm a peon and that they hold all the answers.”

Hanqing values the experience advantage of McCain over Obama:

“Bottom line, the US (and the world) is going through a pretty trying period right now. I don’t think people really need to hear words of empowerment or inspirational sound bites that make them feel warm and fuzzy. They need to be reassured that they have a leader who has enough experience and mental toughness to help a country weather a crisis. And though John McCain may not be nearly as polished as Barack Obama is, his experience seems to make up for it.”

Akomismo from the Philippines compares McCain and Obama:

“Obama and McCain are yin and yang. Of all their contrasts, the assessment I agree with most is that they represent an America at the crossroads of two generations. One is from the America that has always been there: strong, triumphant, and takes pride in longevity and experience. The other is from an America that is just being born: cosmopolitan, global, and takes pride in diversity and change. What makes this election so close is that these two paradigms present equally valid ways of dealing with the present economic crisis, the lingering wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, and the standing of America at home and abroad. Thus, this isn’t about partisanship anymore, it’s about leadership. Who has what it takes to live out the vision of America they present?”

If informal surveys are to be believed, it seems Obama is more popular in the region. An Obama victory will be welcomed in Indonesia. Mum's the Word (or Pa) from Singapore believes it is impossible for McCain to win in the elections. Beyond SG discusses the role of social networking sites in today’s politics. A Vietnam non-profit group borrows the soundbytes of US candidates to promote their newsletter.