I Know Y'Got Soul

My admiration for President-Elect Barack Obama not only extends to his politics and his dignified demeanour but, also, to his choice of music to reference in his speeches. The several allusions that he made during the campaign to Sam Cooke's 'A Change is Gonna Come' ("it's been a long time comin'...") reached a prophetic climax in his acceptance speech in Chicago where he noted that the change was finally here.

In the interests of political balance, though, I just have to ask how different this election might have been had Senator McCain played more on his own time as Prisoner of War in Viet Nam. Cos, in those days he was The Man Working on the Chain Gang. Yes he was.

He may not have known much about history or geography but at least now he can get back to his full time job of making those excellent Oven Chips®™. And, what a Wonderful World that will be.

Of course the man I feel really sorry for is this Joe the Plumber bloke who has seemingly taken his last ride on John McCain's Straight Talk to Freedom Express. Many will miss him although people in the UK may well find it hard to imagine that there was such uproar at his reported $200,000-plus-per-capita income, such is the difficulty and expense over here getting hold of any of his fellow tradesmen when you've got a leaky boiler. If he were British, Joe would undoubtedly have got his own reality TV show by now. Pipe Idol, anyone?

Ultimately, however, not only have we had a gripping and historic election but, double bonus, now we get to see what would have happened in The West Wing season eight.

Lastly, concerning the BBC's television coverage of election night, highlights included Oprah Winfrey saying she was 'in full vibrational mode' (steady, Oprah it might be contagious), former ambassador and crassly obnoxious Republican apologist John Bolton being indescribably rude - on at least two occasions - about his "Communist" BBC hosts, Eddie Izzard rather drunk but very chipper in some swanky New York nightclub being interviewed by the quite obscenely named Laura Keunnesberg, good old Mad As Toast Gore Vidal describing Republicans as "people who like war and like money more than they like life" and The Great Simon Schama somehow managing to equate the whole thing to the Civil War! It was BRILLIANT telly.

As indeed was the Daily Show/Colbert Report special for the four people in this country with access to More4 or FX who saw it. Loved the use of an Escher print as a backdrop at Republican headquarters ("there are no doors here, only whispering shadows of the night!")

So, anyway Congressman Jimmy Smits-Obama won. Which is good, cos he can now let Josh and Sam and ... then big fellah whose name escapes me but who was somewhat rude to Charlie in the last episode get on with running the country and trying to remind the rest of the world that America isn't, necessarily, all bad. Which, to be fair, it isn't.

And, of course, Mrs. Congresswoman Jimmy Smits-Obama can ... you know, have a nice bubble bath with Donna and Olive out of Pushing Daisies or something. Which'll also be widely appreciated around the world, trust me.