Yes, he did!

For America's Democrats, eight years was a long wait. But, in the end, it was a short night.

Unlike the last two elections, this time it was all over by 11 p.m. on America’s east coast. That was the moment when it become clear that Barack Obama had been elected the 44th president of the United States.

Make no mistake. This was an historic moment that we should all be grateful to have seen. The US has elected its first African-American president, 232 years after the country's Declaration of Independence and 45 years after Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech.

John McCain, in a speech that was gracious — but not very graciously received by his supporters — called on all Americans to put their differences aside to work for their country. McCain should have shown more of this grace during his (dreadful) campaign.

But the night belonged to Barack Obama, a man who inspired millions to vote for the first time and who is a symbol of hope for many who feel excluded from the American dream.

Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia: all these states turned from Republican to Democrat. Barack Obama didn’t just win the election; he won by a mile.

“Yes, we can,” was the motto of Obama’s campaign. And, yes, he did, for one simple reason. He was the better candidate by far.

Obama’s victory will dramatically improve America’s standing in the world, after the dismal arrogance of George Bush. The election will also prove that Old Europe was never “anti-America”, as many on the right have claimed, but simply against many of the policies and attitudes of the Bush era.

Obama will not have an easy start to his presidency. He will have to deal with the economic crisis that helped him into office. And he will have to show that he can defend America from its enemies.

“This is your victory,” Obama told his supporters in a speech in Chicago, saying that "change has come to America". More than that, it is America’s victory, and the world's, too.

The United States has made an excellent choice and shown once again what a great nation it is.