2008 would be a pivotal year in the nation’s history, it would witness the unraveling of the US financial institutions, the beginning of the Great Recession of 2008-2009, the rise and fall of the candidacy of former first lady Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primary, and the subsequent election of the country’s first African American president. Barack Obama’s message of hope and change resonated across the nation leading to a decisive win in the 2008 election. His almost 70 million popular votes is the largest number won by any presidential candidate.
Senator John McCain and former POW in the Vietnam War played the role of adversary during this momentous election. McCain was seen as a centrist Republican who had little chance of stopping the historic tsunami. The economy was in tatters and the country had grown weary of the unending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In an attempt to upend the historical significance of Barack Obama, he selected a little know Governor from Alaska named Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running-mate. Unfortunately, her myopic understanding of political issues only added mockery to his floundering campaign. On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation’s 44th president.