It's finally here! Election Day 2008

I can't imagine how the candidates feel right now. It must be a combination of complete and total obliterating exhaustion combined with an adrenaline overload and "runner's high". Finally, at last, the finish line is within reach. Who will take top honors? We just have to wait now.

Honestly, I dread seeing McCain's concession speech. For weeks, it's almost like you can hear him saying "I just want this to be over with". I think about the stamina he's maintained and I think about my parents and know how hard it would be for them to keep the frenetic pace for a week, much less 12, 18 months. And McCain's older than all 4 of them. He even said himself over the weekend on Saturday Night Live that if his charm doesn't work on the undecideds, he would resort to the "Sad Grampa" tactic. Sure, he was just kidding (wink-wink).

And then there's Hillary. I watched the video of her after casting her ballot this morning in Chappaqua, NY. Boy she's stood strong, hasn't she? Continuing to be gracious and supportive of the Obama campaign, although I must say there seems to be a conspicuous absence of genuine enthusiasm, that certain twinkle in her eye has gone missing whenever she talks about looking forward to working with [President] Obama in the coming years. Who could blame her, really? She's got her big girl panties on and she's doing what's "right" for the party. Don't you know she'll have a great memoir coming out about 25 years from now when she's an old lady? About how she was elbowed out of the election by the DNC and the media back in 2008. And how she clinched the Presidency in 2016, making history as the first woman President, after all.

If I could say one thing to the politicians, TV stations and the internet, it would be this:

Please - for all our sake - after tonight, let's take a break. OK? This campaign season has been grueling. Not only the length of the "season" (2 years?) but the ferocity with which it has been fought. Not just by the presidential candidates, but the senatorial races (Dole - Hagan has been especially ugly) and the gubernatorial (McCrory - Perdue has been about the "Great State of Mecklenburg" since day 1) race too. Oy. Let's all take one collective deep breath and go have that beer you were talking about 6 months ago.

One of the most important lessons I learned in the early days of my hotel career was that after a long, bad day - if you can't put things aside and go out for a beer with the person/people who made your life a living hell that day, then you have no business being in the hotel world. I think the same should go for politics.

I'll leave you to enjoy this popular tribute to the past 2 years: