History is made, and faces tell the story

I had an assignment last night to cover an election victory party in Baltimore, Maryland. It started out well enough — nice venue, positive vibes, free food — and that grew through the evening.

Then, at 11:01, when the polls closed in California, the TV screens flashed the message: "Barack Obama Predicted 44th President of the United States."

I was watching the people. This was a crowd that had come in expecting this very result. But the reaction that went through the crowd — it was sheer shock, certainly followed by joy. From where I was standing, the story of this point in our nation's history is told in the faces of its people.