November 4, 2008 Edition

History does not happen in a vacuum and certain events presage the arrival of others and influence our future course. Some of these are at the margin; think of how we each count the paths taken or not in our own lives whilst we spend our mature years wondering what might have been. Others are far more momentous in their impact on history as witnessed by the acts of individual leaders for better or worse, as well as many of the avoidable confrontations that have in their time, spun the world out of control and beyond civilized norms. Forty years ago, to employ one such example, during a time of conflagration and social evolution when most of this readership was at least alive if not in young adulthood, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Junior were assassinated thereby changing both change and the future course of history. Suffice to say that had Kennedy lived, there would have been no Watergate, no Nixon impeachment and a much earlier end to the war and the deaths in Vietnam. It is not difficult to look back and wonder about any number of such events but for the moment, live the moment for we are onlookers, some of us are even "deciders", present at this watershed occasion.

While the world is collectively holding its breath markets appear to be freshening up from east to west. We are about to enjoy the fourth movement of the first Obama symphony as indexes celebrate a new beginning. Look for a solid follow through this week despite the Republican bent of most Wall Streeters. Markets historically fare better under Democrats anyway and from these depressed levels it will be easier than usual.

One sour note this morning has the Republicans running attack ads on major networks proving once again that they just don't understand....or get it.