President-elect Barack Obama's Victory speech in Chicago

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/speeches/obama-victory-speech.html

The URL above is a link to the video of Obama's victory speech, side by side with a transcript of the speech.

Highlights:

* (After thanking his family, his running mate, his campaign crew) But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

* There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.

* This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

* (I especially liked the part where he featured Ann Nixon Cooper, a 106-year old African-American Obama-supporter; he outlined all the changes in America that Cooper had witnessed.) America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

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Here's another interesting bit on Obama's victory speech:

CNN.com: Linguist deems Obama's speech a winner

Highlights:

* Linguist compares Obama's "Yes, we can!" to JFK's "Ask not what what your country can do for you..."

* I found it interesting how the words Obama chose and even the voice of verbs he used could affect the message he was trying to get across. For example, a lot of "hope" and its synonyms, and the use of the word "will" made the speech optimistic and forward-looking. Also, as cited by the linguist, the use of the passive voice in certain parts aided in Obama's call for sharing the responsibility (see highlight above, "There will be setbacks...").

(Picture from http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pix/obamafamily04112008.jpg)