It’s been 143 years since the 15th Amendment gave African-Americans the right to vote. Though, it took the civil rights movement of the 1960’s to make that mean something.

Now, the United States has its first African-American president in Barack Obama.

I’m reminded of an Obama rally I attended in November of 2007. Obama drew a good crowd inside the gym at Sioux City West Middle School.

That day he told a story that resonates, today. It was near the beginning of his campaign. He promised a precinct captain, from the tiny town of Greenwood, South Carolina, that he would stop in her town… because he couldn’t get there during a previous trip.

When he finally got to Greenwood, he was greeted by a two-hour car ride to a town that was so small it wasn’t even on the map. He arrived at a "shack" in the middle of an open field, and was greeted by about 20 people (far fewer than the crowds to which he had become accustom).

Still weary from the car ride, Obama was less than enthused by the lackluster crowd. But, his ears perked up when he heard from the back of the room, "Are you fired up? Are you ready to go?" The voice came from the precinct captain Obama had met so many months ago.

The crowd responded to the woman, and that enthusiasm swelled within Obama. And, he found himself shouting, "Fired up! Ready to go!"

With an electoral landslide behind him, Obama is fired up. And, with an ambitious agenda in front of him, he certainly seems ready to go.

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NBC News projects (at 10:0pm CT) that Sen. Barack Obama will have 284 electoral votes, securing the presidency, and defeating John McCain.

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After two years of campaigning (by presidential candidates), and months of knocking on doors (by  local candidates), election day is finally here!

No amount of planning can prepare the media to cover the twists and turns that hundreds of races– at the national, state, county and local level– could take . But, KTIV will have you covered.

Kristie VerMulm and I will anchor KTIV’s continuous coverage from "Signal Hill." But, we’ll have teams of KTIV reporters, photographers and engineers in the field. They’ll be stationed at the Woodbury County courthouse watching results come in. Another crew is assigned to the Republican victory party at the downtown Holiday Inn. Democrats will rally at the old "First Edition", downtown. We’ll be there, too. Our Norfolk News Bureau will check in with results from Madison County, and other parts of northeast Nebraska. Michelle Rook will put her South Dakota broadcast background to good use in Union County. She’ll then travel to Sioux Falls to cover "Initiated Measure 11" (the abortion ban), Senator Tim Johnson’s campaign, and that of Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin. And, let’s not forget about analysis from our team of political consultants, Chris McGowan, and Dave Bernstein.

Keep checking "The Breen Report" for updates on tonight’s races, and what they’ll mean for tomorrow.

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Presidential candidates live in a bubble. They’re surrounded by secret service, advisers and admirers almost every waking hour of every day until the election. Most of that is for their own protection.

But, one perk of a presidential campaign is the "motorcade."

You’ve seen it re-enacted on TV, and in the movies. Limos, or Suburbans, lead by police cars, and followed by non-descript cargo vans carrying campaign workers, family, and members of the media, like me. In fact, for Governor Sarah Palin’s trip to Sioux City, I got to ride in her motorcade as a member of the traveling press.

It’s an unusual experience. Thanks to the police escort, the motorcade doesn’t have to stop for stoplights, or stop signs. That last time I tried that, I got a ticket.

Other traffic is cleared out to make way for the candidate. Drivers in the motorcade’s path don’t know why they’re being pulled over. Frankly, when the police car goes by, and doesn’t stop behind them, they probably don’t care why.

You also get the best parking spot. The press van pulled up 20-feet from the door to the West High School gym, where we needed to be for the rally.

I have to admit to feeling a bit like the "big man on campus" walking into the gym, from behind the stage, with a secret service escort, in full view of the thousands of people waiting to see Gov. Palin.

To the other members of the traveling press, this happens several times a day, every day. But, for me it was a treat, which gave me a glimpse at what life "inside the bubble" is like.

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When Alaska Governor Sarah Palin visited Sioux City, today (Saturday), she wasn’t alone. Joining her on the plane, nicknamed "The Straight Talk Express 2", were her husband, Todd; daughters Willow and Piper; and son, Trigg.

Only Piper joined her on stage during the rally at West High School. And, besides a momentary introduction at the beginning of Palin’s remarks, Piper sat quietly on the stage listening to her Mom speak.

But, after Gov. Palin concluded her remarks, in the gym, she moved to the school’s auditorium, where several hundred more people had packed in to watch the speech on a closed-circuit TV feed.

This was Piper’s moment, and the seven-year-old seized it. When her mom bent down to introduce her, Piper asked her mother if she could say something. She grabbed the wireless microphone and said, "Hi Iowa, vote for John McCain."

Though she didn’t mention her mom, Piper made good at the end of Gov. Palin’s 5-minute remarks. "Elect my mommy," she proclaimed.

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Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. At least, that’s what my mom always said. This morning (Wednesday), breakfast was certainly the most important meal for Iowa republicans.

The speakers included Roberta McCain, mother of Sen. John McCain; Sen. John Kyl, Arizona’s other senator; rising republican star Rep. Marsha Blackburn; former U.N. ambassador John Bolton; and Medal of Honor winner, Col. George "Bud" Day.

In total, the group gave Iowa delegates a full biography of McCain.

Roberta McCain talked about how her son was a "scamp", and "during the Iowa caucuses those other candidates didn’t say very nice things" about her son. Go figure.

Kyl focused on McCain’s experience handling international issues. Kyl claimed McCain condemned Russian aggression, in Georgia, three days before opponent Barack Obama said anything.

Blackburn painted McCain as the "maverick", and "reformer", saying he fought waste, fraud and abuse in Washington.

But, it was Col. George "Bud" Day, who talked emotionally about McCain’s resolve during their captivity, in Vietnam. "I never expected him to make it until morning," Day said about the first time he saw McCain. "But, he just refused to die." Day says McCain’s job was serving his country. "If he had to die doing that he was willing to do it. And, that’s character." It certainly is.

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Senator John McCain has made a congressional career of going his own way. He’s known as a "maverick" in Washington, D.C.. Heck, his campaign slogan is "Country First" (and political party, second).

But, this afternoon (Tuesday), Col. George "Bud" Day, a Sioux City-native, told a crowd of veterans at St. Paul’s Union Station, that McCain had to learn to follow before he could learn to lead.

Day, who spent time with McCain as a prisoner of war, in Vietnam, said the republican’s military career taught him that lesson. And, in Day’s words, "John learned those lessons well."

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Republicans will resume a full schedule at their national convention, in St. Paul, Minnesota, today (Tuesday), according to CNN.

That includes a full slate of speakers, in prime time, tonight (Tuesday). On stage… former presidential candidate Fred Thompson, and democratic Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. President Bush will speak to delegates, via satellite from Texas. But he won’t do so in "prime time." He’ll speak at 8:30pm CT. The "big 3" networks don’t begin their coverage until 9:00pm CT.

GOP officials say they convention will still put an emphasis on recovery efforts following Hurricane Gustav.

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As the chair of Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, in Iowa, no one worked harder to get the former Arkansas governor into the White House that Bob Vander Plaats. And, his hard work paid off in a surprise Huckabee win during the Iowa Caucuses. But, it was Senator John McCain who had the momentum, and captured the party’s presidential nomination.

Now, Vander Plaats says he fully supports McCain. Not an easy transition, right? "It was pretty easy for me because John McCain won," Vander Plaats joked.

Vander Plaats is in St. Paul, Minnesota as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. Thursday night, he’ll help nominate McCain. "I was always going to support the Republican nominee against either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama," Vander Plaats told me. "Although I may not agree with him on every issue, I trust him. He says what he believes, and he believes what he says."

As for Huckabee’s possible place in a McCain cabinet? "Governor Huckabee will have a role on the national stage for a long time."

And, Vander Plaats political future? "I’m focused on getting John McCain elected president."

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Republican party officials have partnered with Target, FedEx and the American Red Cross to assemble and send 80,000 "comfort packages" to residents hit hard by Hurricane Gustav.

The "assembly center" is inside the Minneapolis Convention Center.

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