It's not like we didn't know Barack Obama was running for president.

And it's not as if polls didn't show he might win.

But when news came of his landslide Tuesday, it took time to sink in.

"Can you believe it? I can't believe it. I can't believe it's happening," said Nazif Negawo, a student from Ethiopia who cast his first vote as an American, then hit the streets when his guy won.

For Negawo and hundreds of other Denverites, Tuesday wasn't a night to sit home watching TV. It was a moment in history to be shared with as many people as possible.

So, by car, by bike and on foot, they headed for the stretch of Court Place from 15th to 16th streets, between the Sheraton hotel towers from which Democratic insiders peeked out the windows.

"O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma . . . ," they chanted. "Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we did. Yes, we did. . . ."

They danced and bumped fists with perfect strangers on a night when it seemed reasonable — finally — to have hope again for the country.

"I wouldn't let myself feel this way because I didn't want another disappointment," said attorney George McLaughlin, riding his green Vespa triumphantly through the gauntlet of euphoric strangers.

"Beautiful, so beautiful," muralist Thomas Nahulu said of the celebration around him. "This country just won the World Series, only better. "

What made the crowd so incredulous was that no one — not even the most ardent supporters — took for granted a moment when Obama's electoral count would shoot past 270, then keep on rising.


What made the scene so memorable was the mix of laughter and tears, the knowing looks between baggy- panted street kids, pinstriped executives and everyone else wandering downtown trying to process the victory.

What transformed the folks on Court Place on Tuesday was the knowledge that the same chanting and high-fiving were taking place in every other major city, including those beyond our borders.

"Somehow, we're part of the world again," McLaughlin said.

Yeshie Yabete worked the second- floor suites of the Denver Sheraton picking up after Democrats on Tuesday. The 26-year-old banquet server from Ethiopia kept her eye on the big screens while rushing off every few minutes to clear trays and phone results to her sister.

"Barack did it," she rejoiced in the invisibility of the hotel's kitchen. "I am truly amazed."

Among those remaining incredulous Wednesday were students at northeast Denver's Bruce Randolph School who planned a one-day boycott if Obama lost.

"I woke up and asked myself if I was dreaming all that up last night or if it really could be real," said Tyrone Catholic, 13.

He and schoolmates Karla Carranza, 14, and Miguel Gonzalez, 16, each come from families who struggle with car payments and rent. Each has dreamed of becoming president since they were so young they didn't know, as minorities, that the odds were stacked against them. And each grew up having sung along with Bob the Builder's "Yes, we can!" mantra.

"Then, some guy who looks like us comes along and makes 'Yes, we can' into a bigger statement by becoming president," Tyrone said. "Someday, I'm gonna tell my kids that once upon a time there was a man named Barack Obama."

"And then they'll tell their kids," added Karla.

Said Miguel: "It's gonna run in the family."
