"This is the moment," Barack Obama likes to say, and with that electrifying statement he grabs your attention and captures all the awesome forces of change, vision, and opportunities that his presidential candidacy is offering to the American public.

"This is your moment," he goes on to say, as the crowds get larger, the adrenal pumps higher, and the polls repeatedly indicate that he is the front runner and favourite to win this election.

If that is how it turns out, and chances are it will, then the announcement of the results on the night of the election, November 4, will become one of those special moments in time that will remain anchored forever in our memories.

There are some events that have occurred during our lifetime when the clock seems to have stopped, moments that are subject to instant recall because of the immense impact on ourselves, our communities, and on the world.

The world is now primed for one such moment, the likelihood of an Obama victory, and already we are seeing more space devoted to this possibility in the media than for any previous United States election.

Media coverage

The presidential debates, the campaign trains across America, the exhaustive CNN and other national media coverage, and the polls which continue to put distance between the two candidates, have created a news frenzy that has hyped this race into a fixture for nightly viewing and passionate discussion.

Obama mania has seized Jamaica, as the realisation grows that we could be about to witness in our lifetime a historic event of unprecedented proportions that will change the the landscape of traditional politics, culture and leadership in America.

Celebrations are being planned all over the United States in anticipation of his victory. A gigantic party will be staged on the streets of his hometown base in Chicago. Jamaicans will be gathering around the nearest television set to raise a glass and say a prayer. Congratulations and messages of support will be pouring in from millions around the world.

Emotions will run high and tears of joy will flow. There will, however, be another side to the ecstasy and euphoria as resentment, bitterness and even spiteful retaliation will kick in with the realisation that there is a black man in the White House. The transformation will be difficult to absorb for many.

But, democracy does not wait on likes or dislikes, and the process moves on, the loser concedes, and the victor takes stock of the enormous responsibilities that await the new chief executive after he takes the oath of office on the morning of January 20.

Raft of promises

A weakened economy, a meltdown of Wall Street, two wars to fight thousands of miles away from home, and a raft of promises to keep.

Obama has promised health care for all and extraordinary tax cuts that may buy him time, but only just.

His foreign policy, in the words of his vice-president nominee Joe Biden, will be immediately tested, and so will his grasp on the complex issues of finance, energy, immigration, education, crime and the environment.

This is the scenario that will face either aspirant, and if Obama wins, it would be because he would have convinced the electorate that he has the intellectual capacity, pragmatism, courage and confidence to lead America at this most difficult time.

Foreign policy

His conciliatory approach to international relations should help to restore America's image overseas and win back friends that it lost, thanks to a certain belligerence and intolerance that has been the feature of foreign policy for too many years.

For the next few days, we will be on the edge of our seats as Senator McCain remains on the hunt, while Senator Obama, as expected, stays ahead of the pack. Win or lose, this campaign has been largely about Obama. He has pre-empted the Democrats, the Republicans, his rivals in the primaries, and main- stream media, to become number one in the listings and the man who challenged the system and seized the imagination of the world.

So, where will you be on the night of November 4? Make sure it's a place that you ought to be, so that for generations to come you can say with pride that you were there at that moment when history unfolded before your eyes.

Lance Neita is a public relations professional, communicator, and writer).