Appendix

Am I over-thrilled? No. But there is a sigh of relief. Given the choices, Obama needed to stay on. I sure do wish him good luck in his second term. 

it's so funny, money money money, in a rich mans world

When the US presidential election is over estimates say it will end up costing $2.5bn.
That works out to about $20 per vote.The money comes from a variety of sources: from the candidates' own fund raising, to money collected by groups called Super PACs.Super PACs cannot work directly with the Barack Obama and Mitt Romney campaigns, but they spend millions on TV ads hoping to influence the electorate.

All of this adds up to the most expensive presidential campaign in US history. (source BBC)

Wow - that much money could have restored most of the infrastructure of lower Manhattan or done some other good elsewhere. What a waste just for the cause of a dualistic conk-battle.

the forgotten quest

I have changed my mind and will vote for Obama. First I didn't care at all who gets voted into office in the US, but the future of the Supreme Court is the forgotten issue in this year's presidential election.

This is surprising and disturbing because a president's picks for the federal judiciary are one of the most long-lasting legacies of any presidency. There is a sharp contrast between the types of individuals that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney would place on the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts, yet neither is saying much about it; perhaps it is hurricane Sandy's fault.
Romney's choices would definitely bring us back to the Stone Ages, or at least to the 19th century where the then so called Mormon leader declared that Christ was an US citizen, an American. I mean, give me a break! 
Hence on forward, I will encourage all US citizens, native or not, to vote for Obama - not so much for Obama's sake, but for the sake of our children who will have to live with Supreme Court rulings for decades to come.

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Sorry, I am a bit crude (as usual about faith based outer materialistic religions) - so I need to add this from Wikipedia to dampen the image I described, this is Romney:

Much of the Mormon belief system is oriented geographically around the North and South American continents. Mormons believe the people of the Book of Mormon lived in the western hemisphere, that Christ appeared in the western hemisphere after his death and resurrection, that the true faith was restored in upstate New York by Joseph Smith, that the Garden of Eden was located in North America, and that the New Jerusalem would be built in Missouri. For this and other reasons, including a belief by many Mormons in American exceptionalism, Molly Worthen speculates that this may be why Leo Tolstoy described Mormonism as the "quintessential 'American religion'".