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"Our long national nightmare is over."

How many bloggers used that line in their post about Obama's victory? Too many to count, in these pages and pages of Google blog search results. Obviously, I thought of it too, or I wouldn't have done that search and be writing this post.

But let's remember the original context of the quote. Richard Nixon had finally been driven out of the White House, and Gerald Ford had just taken the oath of office:

My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.

Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy.

Some of us went on hating Nixon for the rest of our lives, and some of you will nurse your hatred of Bush forever. But you don't have to do that. If your candidate has won: Rejoice! Don't be ugly.

Full post as published by Althouse on November 05, 2008 (boomark / email).