McCain lost because he campaigned for the party. Obama won because he campaigned for the country. And maybe, even, for the globe. As an Australian looking on from the other side of the globe, that, at least, is my hope; that we’ll see some action on pressing issues such as global warming now that someone more responsible will be in the White House. And that we might see a decline in political tribalism. This loss should be sobering for the Republicans. Perhaps the days of cynical ‘feeding the base’ and divisive, lowest-common-denominator, tribalist politics, are over. Politics, in the end, demands principle, especially in complex, difficult times like these. And leadership. Obama’s victory speech can be found here.