As emotion swirls around the States, this renewed president may be feeling besides his own relief and gratitude a strange sense of finale. Never again will he campaign for election, endure long and sleepless days and find his life taken over by the Democrat machine for month after month. These, truly, are his last days as leader of his country and as he battles with profoundly difficult problems, a recalcitrant Congress and an expectant people he may look forward to January 2016 with exhausted eagerness.
As much as any other observer of recent events President Obama will be aware of the divisions within the United States and the importance of reconciliation, particularly if he wishes to achieve the legislative change he has promised. He has mentioned already in his victory speech his desire to work with Mitt Romney to achieve this, and the intent is laudable if perhaps unlikely to happen in the way it sounded. The divisions go deep and could, if unaddressed, rupture dangerously if they are not healed.
Soon life will seem to carry on as before and apart from some statistics and retrospective analysis the election of 2012 will be memory quickly. Reality is back and it is cold.
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