“On election night, we were clicking through channels, hoping to hear something new. Doha is eight hours ahead of East Coast time, so I knew we probably wouldn’t hear any real results till at least the middle of the night. I flipped through CNN, Al Jazeera, the BBC and a few other channels that we get in Doha. My wife Carmel (a Modesto native) and I stayed up past 2 a.m., anxiously listening to the few results that were coming in. Then it was off to bed, but I was back up at 4 a.m. – there were reports of polling irregularities, but not enough to keep Obama from winning. Carmel and I were up again at seven, on the computer searching for news. ‘We won!’ I heard Carmel yelling, ‘Big time!’ she said. Kenya was declaring a national holiday. America was cheering.

We drove to our classes at Qatar University around noon, and our sweet students were all congratulating me and Carmel on the Obama victory. I hadn’t said anything about the presidential race until the day before, when I was ending a media lab class. I projected my ‘Obama’ campaign button that my sister Peggie had given me onto the big screen in the class before letting the students go. Today, the students seemed as confused as some of the McCain and Palin supporters, as I heard talk in Arabic about a new Muslim president, or something like that.

After classes, Carmel and I drove to a big villa behind the Spanish embassy and across from the Arabian Gulf to the Brookings Institution event – an election party we were invited to through the Georgetown University branch in Doha. There wasn’t a big crowd, but it was an interesting one, full of many nationalities. Surprisingly, some of the people we knew – an African woman, an Indian woman and a few others – announced that they had voted for the first time and were new American citizens. We had known them for more than a year and had not known they held a U.S. passport until today.

A good discussion ensued, with much dialogue on what the future would bring for the world, the Middle East, the world economy, health care in America, etc. CNN was mutely playing on a large screen, and I remember the images: Jesse Jackson with tears streaming down his cheeks, Obama and his lovely daughters waving, the totals coming in and emotions rising. Pizza and soft drinks were passed around, and the microphone was passed from one person to another. There were lots of good comments and interesting questions and answers about how the electoral system works and how the power will flow between now and January.

Many were interested in how the situation in the world could change. Iran is very close to Doha, and with Iran standing firmly in favor of nuclear power and the U.S. adamant about the impossibility of a nuclear Iran, people wondered how this divide could be healed diplomatically.

It seemed that ‘hope’ and dialogue might lead to some solutions. The audience was hopeful, but also quarreling and questioning. Most thought that perhaps the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council, a political body that includes many of the Arabian Gulf states) could play a role with Obama’s stated desire to involve other parties in decisions and not go at things unilaterally – and if this was the case, then there could be hope. Who would benefit more from a rational and peaceful solution than the individuals in that room and all of their families and loved ones?

Soon the event was over, and I was driving back along the blue waters of the Gulf, the beautiful golf course, and onto the Qatar University campus to drop Carmel off to teach her next class. I was done for the day and drove home. For some reason, the phrase ‘a chicken in every pot’ kept playing through my mind – was that Hoover or FDR? I think it was Hoover, but I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. So, I stopped at the little grocery store in our housing compound and walked in. I ‘salaamed’ the fellows working there who were my friends and headed to the freezer section. There were tiny chickens, frozen like ice and shipped from Brazil, but prepared for shipment in the Islamic ‘Halal’ fashion as stated clearly on the wrapper. One of the chickens could easily thaw in a little cool water before Carmel got home. I bounced a couple around in my palm, picked up a few onions and potatoes, passed a few Qatari Riyals to the gentlemen at the cash register (when I mentioned Obama had won, they smiled) and headed home to put a chicken in our pot for dinner tonight.

As I write this, Carmel is euphoric. She is happy, happy and declaring her new faith in the American people and America. Something good has happened! The moon on this historic night is just a small crescent in a starless sky in the Arabian Gulf. I know it will grow larger and stronger. Tomorrow will be a better and brighter day and may those who rejoice with hope retain their euphoria.”

His ballot counted in last night’s election, but it may have been cast in vain: The Associated Press reports that Chamberlain voted for McCain. Florida was blue in this election for the first time this century, last voting for a Democrat in 1996.

ABC News also reports that Barack Obama’s grandmother, who died just a day before her grandson was elected the nation’s first black president, also had her vote counted. Madelyn Dunham put her absentee ballot in the mail on Oct. 27 and she helped send all four of Hawaii’s electoral votes to Obama last night. Dunham was 86.

The projection is based on exit polls.

BY N’JERI EATON //

On the final day of the election, dozens of volunteers gathered at the West Contra Costa Unified Campaign office for one last push for Obama.

After eight hours, team leader Rick Guerrero announced that their efforts resulted in over 8,000 phone calls today.  “Just two weeks ago, we were happy with 3,000 calls in a weekend,” said Guerrero.

Juanita Vaughns brought two highly-motivated volunteers to the office: her 10-year-old grandson Jared and his friend Camellia. Vaughns has noticed her grandson’s fascination with the presidential election. This past Friday, Jared even dressed as Barack Obama for Halloween, wearing a suit and an array of buttons.  “They know so much about what’s going on,” said Vaughns. “I can’t say that I was doing this at 10.”

Watch the slideshow below of Jared and Camellia calling for Obama.

Indiana is currently too close to call as well, and the network reports that McCain leads by only 3 percent. The state has 11 electoral votes up for grabs, and Obama made a last minute stop there today. It has been a red state in recent history.

Kentucky has been called for McCain, while Vermont is projected to go to Obama. Both outcomes were generally expected based on voting history and poll numbers.

There’s already a website, and maybe even an organization behind it, that wants to impeach Obama.

Check it out at impeachObama.org.

Although final results will trickle in throughout the night, if Obama wins the states he leads in, he’ll be within 55 electoral votes of the 270 he needs to be elected. That is a significant figure because California’s 55 electoral votes will almost certainly go to Obama, based on poll numbers and past election results. (California has gone blue since 1988 when George H.W. Bush took the White House)

While the South will likely vote Republican, Obama will capture many states in the Northeast. At 7 p.m. the polls will close in Iowa, Montana, Nevada and Utah.

By this time, Obama could have won Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C. He leads in all those states and their 219 electoral votes would virtually clinch the presidency for him.

If McCain wins Pennsylvania or Ohio, his campaign will be in much better shape and will postpone the outcome until the West Coast results are in. If he can somehow win both states, the election will be much closer than anticipated and we may not have a winner until late tonight or tomorrow morning.

Cbsnews.com has a video with a visual breakdown of how the election could be decided earlier rather than later here.

Sen. John McCain has almost as many good luck charms as there are swing states, “ranging from a trusty compass to a feather, pen, blue sweater, shoes and penny.”

Sen. Barack Obama will wear an eagle pin and carry around a small charm of a Hindu monkey god.

As for their election night activities, McCain will continue the tradition of watching a movie as the results start to come in. Trailing in national polls, perhaps he’ll enjoy the football underdog movie Rudy?

Obama has a tradition of playing basketball the day of a big vote, which he did during the long and grueling primary season. The one primary contest when he didn’t play? The January 8 New Hampshire primary where he surprisingly lost to Hillary Clinton. I’m not sure who will play against the Democrat, but I would watch out for his long-range shooting.

We’ll be updating the national election buzz here all day (and into tomorrow if necessary).

The candidates made sure their votes were counted, as Sens. Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin all went to the polling places and voted this morning. Yahoo! News has the story from the AP here.

Some news outlets wondered if Palin, who ventured all the way back to Wasilla, Alaska to cast her ballot, voted for Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens, who was recently convicted on ethics charges. No word yet on if she did or didn’t.