Gracious win, gracious loss: an addendum.

This was certainly an election that had moments of bitterness, enmity and poisonous words, but let me tell you, I was proud of both candidates tonight--the one who won and the one who lost. It's a wonderful thing to be able to do both graciously, and Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain did those things.

I was continually impressed by the people in my neighborhood who waited for more than two hours with me to vote this morning. I am impressed with the fact that a man who would never have had a chance to do much in this world one hundred years ago is now the president-elect of the United States of America.

I am excited and nervous about what will come.

I am glad to be finished writing the Culture Wars. Because I hope beyond hope that the wars are over, that we figure out who we are and how we can live with our differences being led by a president who is a product of different cultures, and who will, I hope, really make a difference in who we are as a nation and as a people.

This is a good day. Yes, I believe that this is a good day.