There are many qualities possessed by Barack Obama, elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday (Wednesday in Jakarta), that have not been seen since John F. Kennedy was elected to the same position in 1960.

Both Kennedy and Obama were junior senators, in Massachusetts and Illinois respectively, with little experience, though both men exuded leadership. Both were admired by a world extending far beyond the borders of the United States.

American politics comes with a generous dose of romance. The Indonesian response to Obama was overwhelming, while McCain failed to generate support. Text messages clogged mobile phones throughout Indonesia and congratulatory messages filled email inboxes in dozens of languages.

The live coverage of the vote count on November 5, 2008 was watched across Jakarta and many rejoiced when Obama passed the 270 vote mark, sealing his place in the top job. While not everyone was aware of his policies, many sensed a positive aura about him.

Obama has managed to become the first president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to represent all Americans. He has stepped away from partisanship and appealed to all parts of the country regardless of race, state and religion. His message of inclusion was the thread of his campaign, both in the Democratic Party and across the political divide. Through strict discipline he avoided the looming threat of a culture war which has haunted America since Richard M. Nixon used it to energize the Republican Party.

As a person, Obama has a remarkable background. We all know he spent four years of his childhood in Indonesia. Plenty of his school friends and neighbors can remember the fun he had growing up in Jakarta, playing and learning at his mother's side. When he went back to the United States he flourished under the care of his grandmother, who sadly passed away the day before the election. His half-sister Maya Ng shares their Indonesian heritage as the only remaining member of this family.

But we will not make the mistake of claiming him for Indonesia. We are happy to have had some place in the upbringing of Barack Obama. It will be our collective pride to see him become an outstanding president of America and make it a better country, because what is good for America is good for the rest of the world.

The difference between Obama and most presidents of the United States is that he does not campaign on fear but on hope. He is the antidote to the George W. Bush era of the "you are either for us or against us" ideology, promising instead dialogue and the possibility of diplomatically, not violently, resolving conflicts with the nation's worst enemies. And the world took note, breathing a collective sign of relief. We will not be forced into accepting unilateral initiatives when Obama argues for multilateral action whenever possible.

The sense of oppression does not exist only in the mind of America's adversaries, but also in parts of the American population. Many in the U.S. have felt their civil liberties eroded under the guise of capitalism and national security in recent years.

Perhaps that is why there was overwhelming joy and celebration at Grant Park in Chicago, the scene of violent riots over the Vietnam War in 1968. The Iraq war, in this election, had the same polarizing effect as Vietnam did in that era. Ordinary people began feeling they were hostages of an alien kind of authority.

The true genius of America is that it can find change through democratic processes. When the American people want change, they vote for it in record numbers and win by a landslide. Through democracy, the wars have been sidelined so the nation can focus on two more pressing matters: economic recovery and rebuilding America's reputation as a beacon of peace and prosperity.

These two goals are good for any country. When Indonesia has the opportunity to make its own democratic choice next year, we will have a sympathetic supporter in a new U.S., led by a President who has personally felt and understood our hopes and aspirations in this country.

The writer is a political commentator. He can be reached at wimar@intermatrix.co.id.

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