Barack Obama elected US president November 5, 2008 - 5:21AMBarack Obama faces up to the daunting task of forging the change he has promisedafter Americans emphatically elected him as their country's first black president."Tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this definingmoment, change has come to America," Obama told a euphoric crowd of 240,000tearful supporters after defeating Republican John McCain.Obama, 47, will be inaugurated as the 44th US president on January 20, 2009, andinherit an economy mired in the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, wars inAfghanistan and Iraq and a nuclear showdown with Iran."The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep, we may not get there in oneyear or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I amtonight that we will get there," Obama said in his hometown of Chicago."I promise you - we as a people will get there."Television networks projected Obama's win over McCain after Senator Obamasolidified traditional Democratic states and cut deep into the Republican territorywhich his rival needed to control to win the White House.Obama's win was greeted with euphoria across the United States and reverberatedaround the world. New York's Times Square exploded in joy at a moment of healing for America's racialscars and a crowd gathered outside the White House. In Kenya, where Obama's father was born, President Mwai Kibaki called his win "momentous".Democrats also made huge strides in Congress and will hold an unshakeablemonopoly in power in Washington after a rare generational and political realignment.After a bilious campaign, McCain was gracious in defeat and noted that his electionwas a moment to cherish for African Americans."The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. A little while ago, Ihad the honour of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him on being electedthe next president of the country that we both love," he said."Though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours," he told a crowd of supporters inPhoenix in his home state of Arizona.President George W Bush who has steered his country through eight turbulent yearsalso congratulated Obama."Mr President-elect, congratulations to you," White House spokeswoman Dana Perinoquoted the president as saying in a phone call to Obama.
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