Just when you think you're not in Kansas...

I took the bus up to DDD's office in Battambang today, a six-hour ride that included two rest stops, an extremely overactive air conditioner, enough Khmer Karaoke to entertain an adolescent troop, and a short nap.

Waiting for the bus to board, the other passengers and I watched a clip of Britney spears perform "I'm a slave for you" at the Video Music Awards, wearing a live boa constrictor.

Then a boy sold me a copy of Time Magazine for $2.50. It had a picture of Obama's face superimposed on a photo of FDR.

Eat, Drink, Work

I had an intense, back-to-work Monday today at the office, punctuated only by a delicious vegetarian lunch at "Fate-Blessing Buddha." The restaurant is located near the Olympic stadium and i've never seen another westerner as a patron, other than those whom I'm eating with. We had imitation roasted pork, two types of miniature chicken cutlets in a delicious mock-oyster sauce, and very convincing beef ribs with thicker gluten/tofu mimicking rib bones. Also, thick egg and sour soup with imitation ham and seafood, and a stewed green vegetable with a hard to remember name. We got five large dishes, a pot of soup, and ice tea for roughly $24.

After a fast afternoon and early evening of work, I had dinner at Friends, a social enterprise that trains street youth to cook and run a fancy Tapas restaurant in Phnom Penh. Friends has marvelous spicy eggplant dip, and we devoured it before munching yogurt and mint cucumber salad, thick and creamy pumpkin soup, beef tacos, and baby bok choy. They also brought a terrific hummus dip on which we didn't order. I drank a fresh green apple juice smoothie.

I rounded out the day with bag of bilar (cars), a Swedish sugar candy I bought in Stockholm a few weeks ago.

The Lieberman Debate

With the defeat of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, the Democrats now have 56 official seats in the US Senate. This number is enhanced by two independents who caucus with the democratic majority: Bernie Sanders from Vermont (a socialist) and Joe Lieberman, formerly a right-wing democrat from Connecticut. This effectively brings the democratic majority to 58, two votes short of a 60 seat majority that can pass any legislation without the threat of a filibuster.

With two senate races still undecided (a close recount in Minnesota and a somewhat unlikely chance of winning a run-off in Georgia), the majority has decided to allow Lieberman to keep his chair of the homeland security committee, effectively cutting a deal: he caucuses with the democrats as independent in exchange for the privileges of seniority.

John Nichols of the Nation defends this decision to keep Lieberman, on pragmatic tactical grounds.

I see Nichols' point: there isn't much to be gained by making the Democratic tent in the Senate smaller. That being said, is it is necessary to punish Lieberman in some way for his support of Mccain during the campaign, relentless promotion of aggressive and militaristic foreign policy, and general right-wing moralizing.

The most effective way to do this is to run a serious and well-backed democratic candidate in 2012 when he's up for re-election. Ned Lamont was brave to run against him in 2006, but the Democrats need to get serious in ensuring some degree of party discipline for core decisions.

Tactically speaking, it seems unlikely to me that the Democrats will win both Minnesota and Georgia, which even with Lieberman joining the group will require reaching out to the dwindling number of moderate republican senators (Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Arlen Spector, Chuck Hagel) on crucial legislation or nominees that the republican minority filibusters on.

Ultimately, it seems more productive to build a coalition with these folks on borderline issues (health insurance, minimum wage, large diplomatic initiatives, large federal infrastructure spending, progressive energy policy, center-of-left Supreme court nominees) than it does to keep Lieberman as part of the coalition. Should Lieberman not vote for cloture (the vote that ends a filibuster) on a central issue, he should be stripped of his seniority immediately.

Saturday Run

I woke up to a morning without professional obligations. I've spent a last week executing and facilitating logistics for DDD's annual board meeting in Asia, so today's my first substantive day of freedom. I slept in until 10:30, and met a S (a newly arrived co-worker) for a run along the river.

With the help of Toro (motorcycle driver, guide, friend, comic relief), we drove twenty minutes south of Phnom Penh to the Kandal province, passing impressive embassies, ministries, the Senate, and the majority Cambodian People's Party compound.

We ran under the powerful Southeast Asian sun, first along the river (the Tonle Sap, I think) and then the highway. The heat was overwhelming, and we stopped to walk after a 2-3 miles, restarting the run and then cyclically repeating.

In addition to the dust of the road, the sugary, wet aroma of fresh tobacco hung in the air, a pleasant result of the nearby British American Tobacco plant.

Public Death

Hok Lundy, the head of Cambodia's national police force, was killed in a helicopter crash yesterday.

Human Rights Watch describes Hok Lundy as "represent(ing) the absolute worst that Cambodia has to offer", and says that "aside from his boss, Prime Minister Hun Sen, there is hardly anyone in Cambodia who has shown more contempt for the rule of law than Hok Lundy"[4]

I heard about crash while I was down in Kampot, from an American tourist. She'd been having drinks with Singaporean contractors in town when the call came in from Phnom Penh.

None of my Khmer friends express any regret over his death. Some of my local friends have even attended celebration parties.

The Feelings of the election, a few days later

A friend wrote to ask about the mood here in Phnom Penh, post-election. An excerpt from my reply:

"the Americans rejoiced on Wednesday, but the feeling of change dissipated quickly. We're far away from America and the ideals that have been realized in the past week, and the government here seems so corrupt and unchangeable, even with an Obama in office. From what I can tell, the Cambodian state lies in a balance of power (China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Thailand) that is almost entirely unaffected by direct American intervention. Hopefully this is not true."

America, a Place Where all Things are Possible

I watched this speech live in around noon, standing on a chair in the backroom of the the Foreign Correspondant's club on the Mekong River.


If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Being Back

I arrived in Cambodia on Monday. We touched down around 10:15am, after two blissful hours checking e-mail and skyping in the Kuala Lumpur (KL) airport.

Getting off the plane, I am immediately hit by the heat and humidity. The entire airport in KL was fiercely air-conditioned, and the temperature must have been lower in the early morning. After a week of 0 degree (C.) weather in England and Sweden, the weather itched like a blanket of mosquitoes.

After a futile attempt to get a business visa, I sailed out of the airport into a cab. What followed was the worse traffic i've ever experienced in Cambodia. Traffic in Phnom Penh is often compared to the flow of fish in the ocean or a body of water. In this case, the stream looked and felt migratory, bursting with salmon, minnows, the occaisonal lobster, and a few eels (Black SUVs with Army plates, usually driven by the wealthy or politically connected).

I arrived at my apartment and hour or so after landing. I'm staying in an apartment at "Golden Tour Eiffel, in what I call the Langka neighborhood (it has Khmer title as well which is long and not used frequently). It's a large one-bedroom on the third floor, and is almost the size of my three-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, with a kitchen/dining room, large and roomy master bedroom, and balcony. It goes for $15 a night, plus $40 monthly for internet, and the staff/family that lives downstairs does daily laundry for free, cleans, and are very friendly when I enter and leave.

Since i've arrived, I've spent most of my time working, eating, catching up on e-mail, and sleeping.