Did anyone notice Obama's face when he took a last look at the crowd last night?

[Th1onein]

He was very serious, almost stern. As if the weight of the world were coming down on his shoulders.

[MichiganVote]

1. I think the man was just exhausted and still he delivered. Ready on day 1.

[Cha]

4. So ready on Day One.

Yeah, he was exhausted as are a lot of his supporters.

Too Grueling but we WON!

[givemebackmycountry]

2. I did. And it is. n/t

[gateley]

3. I thought he looked very serious during his entire speech -- like he knows

how important this responsibility is.

[hisownpetard]

11. I noticed it immediately. He wasn't smiling his usual, radiant smile - there was a touch of sadness

about him, or a sense of being a bit overwhelmed. I had the distinct feeling that he had
just had an emotional moment backstage - maybe missing his grandmother, or his mother, or both;
or maybe looking at his two beautiful girls and thinking about how their lives are about to change
drastically; or maybe just feeling the weight of the huge array of responsibilities now sitting directly
on his shoulders. Whatever the source of the sobering moment, I know he will handle it well.

I sensed it and felt it, although no one I asked about it today even noticed it.
I don't want to sound like an elitest, but we DUers really are something, aren't we?
Nothing gets past our eagle eyes!!!!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. He'll be fine, he surrounds himself with highly capable, intelligent

people. If I had campaigned for a year straight and kept the schedule he did I would be most likely taking a dirt nap. Obama will do what needs to be done in a world that sorely needs it.

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. I noticed.

The gravity of the situation hitting home plus Mrs. Dunham's death a day and a half before.

[Catshrink]

7. That's how I saw it.

He did seem to feel the weight of the job.

This just came to me. It's goofy but it's the best analogy from my humble life I can make to what our new Commander-in-Chief might be feeling.

When I adopted my first cat years ago, As I carried her out to my car, I told her, "I'm responsible for you and I'll never let you down." I started crying. I felt the weight of the committment and responsibility I was making to this beautiful little girl and was determined to give her the best life I could. It was the biggest committment I had ever made up to then.

[eleny]

8. Yes!

The music and his demeanor said a lot.

I also noted how he was in charge up there. As soon as he seemed to say - okay, let's go - they all immediately turned and moved off the stage. Head em up, move em out! He was the boss.

[Merlot]

9. Yes I noticed. He takes his responsibility seriously.

And he knows he has his work cut out for him.

plus, a little exhaustion/relief

[ailsagirl]

10. Perhaps the enormity of what happened was just hitting him? Or

he didn't think it appropriate to be jubilant when there are so many things that are wrong?

Or else he didn't want to seem as if he were rubbing Mclame's nose in it?

Or he's still deep in grief over his grandmother's passing?

Or he's now got the weight of the world on his shoulders?

He'll be fine-- he'll be an outstanding president.

By God, he did it. And I've never been so proud to be an American!!

:bounce:

[hisownpetard]

12. Absolutely!

[az chela]

13. I think he was thinking about his beloved TUTU

[IDemo]

18. me too

Despite a landslide victory and a 100,000+ crowd of adoring people, he is still grieving at the same time. 'Bittersweet' hardly touches it.

[monmouth]

14. Truth is, his life will never be quite the same again, his privacy

and freedom will forever be protected. Plus, I think he wanted everyone to know how deeply grateful he was to them... He strikes me sometimes as "an old head on young shoulders." (Grandmom Murphy again).....

[Catshrink]

16. That too.

I remember a JFK miniseries a few years ago. The morning after the election, Jackie and JFK went for a walk on the beach only to discover there were SS agents all over the place keeping watch. You could see the realization of their loss of privacy dawn on them. It was sad.

[busybl]

15. I know

I thought, hey kid, it's ok to smile now.
but grief and weariness is weighing on him.

[RedLetterRev]

17. Yes

but he's still got us. He built a team; now it's time to reach back. We got this end so he can take care of his.

[JimWis]

19. I think it was all of what you all said, plus I believe I heard that

today, the 5th, they were planning on making arrangements for a service for his Grandmother.

[windbreeze]

20. Yes....

I absolutely did...I actually thought, for someone who won, he did not seem happy...wondered if he was even going to smile at least once before he left the stage....wb

[KatyaR]

21. I would imagine it was a pretty incredible realization--

I sat here last night wondering what it must have been like to have been in the room when they called the election. The only thing I could possibly relate it to was the scene in "West Wing" when they called it for Santos. Elation, exhaustion, WTF, OMG, what have we done, I can't believe it--you name it, I'm sure it was felt last night. And then to have to come out and address 250,000 people and the entire world at large--that would make anybody a little somber.

He's always struck me as the kind of guy who takes his responsibilities seriously. Talking about being President is one thing; actually winning the election, especially with his margins, is another. I'm sure he was also thinking about his mother and grandmother as well.

It was a truly joyous night, but a truly humbling one as well. I thought he and Michelle looked wonderful together. She seems so supportive.