Start with the obvious: America took an historic step last night in electing the first African-American president of the United States. Forty-five years removed from Dr. Martin Luther King's “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the most powerful country in the world entrusted its future to a 47-year old black man. The symbolism of the event is deep and moving, and it will continue to reverberate for a long time to come, as it should.

Obama's victory was impressive for its breadth – winning a handful of deeply traditional Republican states that have not voted for a Democrat for president for two generations. The numbers tell the tale: Obama captured more votes than any candidate in history; a higher percentage of the popular vote than any Democrat since Lyndon Johnson, and a higher percentage of the white vote than John Kerry four years ago.

While the composition of the electorate did not fundamentally change this year, make no mistake about it: last night voters handed Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats a mandate to take the country in a new direction.

Less obvious is the scope and shape of this new direction for the country. Expanded Democratic majorities in the House and Senate give President-elect Obama both the muscle and the latitude to enact a wide variety of legislation in the early part of his first term that will help flesh out some of the vague aspects of Obama's call for “change” that carried him to victory last night.

Over the course of the two year campaign, Obama captured the imagination of the American people with his soaring rhetoric of hope and his calls for bipartisan unity. Now, he'll need to use every ounce of his considerable political skill to help guide the country through the host of challenges America currently faces.

Today, then, is the beginning of a new journey for America. For millions upon millions of people both at home and abroad, it begins with optimism and exceedingly high expectations. Here's hoping President Obama does not disappoint.