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CHICAGO: President-elect Barack Obama announced a new dawn of US leadership on Tuesday to cheering supporters as he stressed the shared destiny of America and the rest of the world in his victory speech.
"It's been a long time coming. But tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America," the Democratic Illinois senator said in a sober speech in contrast to the exuberant 240,000-strong crowd.
He continued: "All of those watching tonight from beyond our shores, in the parliament and in the palaces, those huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular but our destiny is shared.
"A new dawn of American leadership is at hand," he said to wild applause from the crowd packed into a downtown Chicago park for his election party.
"To those who would tear the world down, we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security, we support you."
Invoking one of his heroes, Civil War president Abraham Lincoln, he reached out to defeated Republicans, calling for unity in the country and an end to division.
"In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long," he said.
"As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection," he said.
He also paid tribute to his vanquished opponent, Arizona senator and Vietnam war hero John McCain, as well as Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin.
"We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him," Obama said of McCain.
"I congratulate governor Palin for all that they have achieved and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead."
In a speech notable for its lack of triumphalism, he mixed personal anecdotes, reflections on the spirit of the country and thanks to his family - even promising a new puppy to his young daughters.
There was also a mention of his recently deceased grandmother, who died in his native Hawaii on Sunday just two days before her grandson's greatest day.
"While she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure," he said.
He concluded with a story of a 106-year-old woman called Ann Nixon Cooper who cast her ballot in Atlanta, listing the amazing changes she had seen in her life from war, technological revolution and civil rights advances.
"And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change," Obama said.
"Yes we can," he said.
Click here for the full text of president-elect Obama's speech.
- AFP/vm/de
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