Political pundits throughout the United States and around the world have been weighing in heavily on the historic accomplishment of Senator Barak Obama, in being the first African American to seize the US presidential nomination for a major US political party.

Every type of political spin imaginable has been tossed about in heated discussions, on how an African American could rise from almost political obscurity to be the choice of the Democratic party. More remarkable was the fact that he had to defeat Senator Hillary Clinton, the first serious female presidential candidate who at one stage looked certain to walk away with the prize. Her claim to experience was supported by her role as a leading Senator and as first lady for two terms while her husband Bill was President.

How did he achieve it with the odds stacked against him? He was arguably not as well known as the other candidates but something he had made him stand out to a point where even sceptics came out in droves to hear what this new voice had to offer. Many of the curious thought he was just another ambitious young man with a few dreams and the ability to articulate them in a charismatic manner. Surely the bubble would burst and he would fade quickly as the political giants rolled into the arena.

This was not to be. Anyone who heard Obama's first major speech to a very diverse audience, that included people from all walks of life, would have realised that this was not the usual political walk in the park. Obama knew from the start that unless he could penetrate the hearts and minds of the average American, black and white, he would be just another politician at work.

He knew success would involve reaching out to people, who were not reaching out to embrace him, or his views. He was obviously aware that neither could he be seen to be appealing mainly to the Afro American community. Obama knew his vision for America had to embrace every citizen, regardless of race or creed.

His message of trying to bring together a nation divided by the Iraq war and recoiling from a stumbling economy hit home with those throughout the nation struggling on a daily basis to make ends meet.

But there were pot holes that often threatened to derail his machine.

He was labelled as some type of closet Muslim by some, and the Pastor of his church did not help when he launched a bitter attack on Hillary Clinton, and America, from the pulpit, which Sen. Obama openly expressed shock over. This incident had heads spinning, since Obama had been a member of that church for some 20 years.

People, including his supporters, questioned whether over the years he had heard similar remarks and if so, why did he continue to worship there? It was a difficult period, as the incident grabbed the headlines and placed him on the defensive when he really needed to be moving ahead.

A second outburst from another preacher at the church aimed at Hillary Clinton, was the final straw, and the senator disengaged himself from that church, and the story began to fade . Throughout all of this, Sen. Obama never lost sight of his goals, despite criticism from Republicans and Democrats.

As it turned out, the very thing some pundits thought would send him crashing appeared to make him stronger, when he showed his mission was bigger than negative thinking, and wallowing in matters that had no place in what he was trying to achieve.

The big lesson here for any politician in a democratic society, was that even in the face of strong criticism, one should maintain dignity and choose words carefully when responding, in order to promote concerns many people feel are not being addressed .

When Sen. Clinton finally gave her concession speech, she stressed the need for supporters of both camps to pull behind Obama to give the Democratic Party the boost it will require to have a Democratic President once again walking through the front door of the White House. Sen. Clinton stressed that Obama should be that person. She was well aware of the deep wounds that needed healing after such a highly emotionally contested campaign, but she was also aware that to grab the moment at hand, one had to accept reality and move on.

An even bigger lesson is that political differences should never override fair play, decency, integrity and respect for good values. Here in Bermuda we need to move away from petty political responses simply because some politicians resent being questioned on certain sensitive matters.

Sen. Obama has demonstrated to America, and the world, that being rooted in sound values and principles and refusing to shift is the key to moving toward a better future for all. The same holds true for any society that places value on keeping democracy alive.