Ahhh, Hindsight .....

It's all so clear, now ... it's all so obvious. I wish there was some way I could have had all this hindsight beforehand.

In the actual world AND the virtual world, in discussion's of Barrack Obama's election as President of the United States, there will be lots of variations on "I told you so" making the rounds this morning ... but not here. I wish I could say that ... but I can't ... I already fessed-up - long ago, on these pages - that had no idea how the presidential election would turn out.

But now, with the aid of hindsight, I find myself looking back on some indicators that brook larger and more significant now, in these post-election hours, then they did when I first encountered them.

The Maverick Factor: Just how much distance could John McCain put between himself and George Bush's administration? Apparently - today, at least - not enough. As I have noted before, John McCain's willingness to stand-up to the Bush administration was a refreshing exception to the politics-as-usual rule in Washington ... there WAS distance, but not enough.

The Economic Factor: Sometimes you have to look-and-listen outside the bubble that is this part of West Texas, both virtually and actually, to learn what it's like out there, in the majority of our nation. The view from actual friends in other parts of the state, and e-friends in other parts of the country just wasn't as good as ours. How might this election have turned out if it hadn't been for the national/world economic news of the past month or so?

The Palin Factor: Over the last few weeks, I met and spoke - actually and virtually - with a growing number of people who told me they would have cast their vote for McCain IF he had someone besides Sarah Palin as a running mate. One soccer dad suggested suggested Joe Lieberman would have been a better choice, while another observer suggested Elizabeth Dole. Even on our local blogosphere, Palin's credentials as an opponent of "Big Oil" were being questioned in light of her tenure as Governor of Alaska, a state that is one of the most Big Oil-enriched in the nation.

The Race Factor: I know, I know, tread carefully here. But I have to wonder what impact the prospect of electing America's first black President had on those who might otherwise have felt dis-enfranchised by our political process ... and those who believed we might finally reach at least a sense of the equality which so many have sought for so long.

Earlier this year, I spent part of the month of February in the nation of Thailand, in southeast Asia. Thailand is a very westward-looking society and is a longtime ally of the United States. More than once, I was asked about U.S. politics (we were in the midst of the primary season at the time), and what I thought of the chances of some of the higher-profile candidates actually winning election. Would America elect a black man President. I was asked ... or how about a woman? "At this time," I answered, "I just don't know."

NOW I know ... it's all so clear, now ... it's all so obvious. I wish there was some way I could have had all this hindsight beforehand.