LONDON, England – This should have been it. The night Michael Jackson returned triumphantly to the stage in London for the opening night of an epic farewell residency and his first concerts in a decade.

Michael Jackson fans write messages to the star on a whiteboard erected outside the O2 Arena.

The tragic pop star may not have made it back to the O2 Arena, the scene of his final public appearance to announce the “This Is It” dates back in February, but plenty of his fans turned up all the same to mark the moment, celebrate their hero and seek solace and comfort in the company of their fellow devotees.

During his life, Jackson's fans were notorious for - and took a certain pride in - their cultish loyalty to the performer. Perhaps it is no surprise therefore that to some Jackson has now become a kind of quasi-religious figure: martyred, misunderstood and mercilessly hounded to his sudden, shocking death.

“To me, because this was where he did the press conference, it was almost like his final performance was here,” said Morganna Bramah. “His final public speech was in this area, so it's a very spiritual place for us to come and pay our respects to the man.”

The 29-year-old Bramah had just returned to London from Los Angeles where she had hoped to attend last week's official memorial to Jackson at the Staples Center. Tearfully, she said the past two weeks had been a “spiritual pilgrimage.”

“I felt like I needed to do it because he has given to us so much and it's the least we can do to show the world how much he was loved, how much he was respected and how much we are going to miss him.”

Gemma White and Terry Shaw, from Kent in southern England, admitted they were both “still in denial” about Jackson's death.

“You can't explain the feeling of seeing Michael Jackson in person, even if it was for one brief second of him walking out of a building,” said Shaw, also just back from Los Angeles. “We came down here for Michael. It was the last thing we could do for him. It had to be done.”

Among the crowds leaving flowers, memorabilia and messages at a makeshift shrine outside the venue were many fans who, with tickets, flights and hotels already booked, had decided to come to London anyway.

“It's like coming to a family reunion where you meet your long lost relatives,” said Jessica Prater, 28, of Harlem, New York. “I'm really feeling the love and I know Michael is here in spirit. I can feel it.”

Italian pair Martin Russo and Enrico Ardifo said they had decided to come at the last minute when they heard about plans for a London tribute via Facebook. “He had a special bond with his fans. Michael cared truly for his fans,” Ardifo said.

Holding a handmade banner saying, “You will never be forgotten,” Sophie Bradley, 25, said she came to say thank you to Jackson. “I've flown in from the Middle East but I had to be here,” she said.

A Jackson fan since she was eight, Bradley said she collapsed when she heard the news of the performer's death.

“He was a father figure and a role model,” she said. “To some fans, it's just about the songs - but to the real fans he was about so much more than the music.”

LONDON, England - Never mind fixing the world economy. Getting all of the world's most powerful leaders into the same room at the same time proved a headache enough for G-20 organizers Thursday.

You might have imagined that somebody would have noticed the absence of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper when the assembled dignitaries lined up this morning for the customary “family photo.”

But the photo shoot went ahead anyway with Harper noticeable by his absence to the left of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Realizing the omission, G-20 organizers arranged a second photo shoot. This time Silvio Berlusconi was absent from the lineup.

Canadian journalists told CNN that Harper had missed the photo because he had been distracted by a briefing with delegates. A spokesman for the prime minister categorically denied scurrilous rumors (apparently emerging from a rival news organization) that Harper had been taking a toilet break at the time.

It was unclear whether organizers would try their luck a third time.

LONDON, England – London has survived plague, fire, bombs and everything else that history has thrown at it down the centuries so perhaps doom-laden prophecies about the extent of damage that a few thousand angry protesters could wreak on the city's financial district were always going to be exaggerated.

The London protests weren't as violent as feared.

Despite the protesters' theatrical threat to "storm the banks," a vast majority came out peacefully on Wednesday, intent on turning the gathering outside the Bank of England into the "mass street party" that organizers had called for.

Those who did come with hopes of causing serious carnage and running amok must have been quickly disappointed by the suffocating and hands-on police presence.

In pockets of the protest, especially as black-masked anarchists pushed up against a police line on Threadneedle Street, the atmosphere was unmistakably ugly. But stepping even a few yards away from the frontline was to move into a different world entirely, more akin to an alternative festival than a riot.

At the nearby Climate Camp protest, where environmentalists set up tents in the streets, police chatted amiably with protesters on rollerskates. It was a day when city workers dressed down and protesters dressed up, some donning pinstripes in a sartorial and satirical nod to their adversaries.

Dozens of public order arrests, handfuls of injuries and the death of one man from an apparent heart attack were indicative of isolated scuffles and bad-tempered confrontations but the citadels of capitalism remained unstormed.

Those incidents of violence that did occur appeared more symbolic and cathartic than genuinely dangerous. Protesters vandalized a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland, whose former chairman Fred Goodwin has become a hated symbol in the UK of the supposed excesses of the high priests of capitalism.

A mannequin strung from a traffic light and set alight late in the day appeared more for the benefit of the assembled photographers and cameramen keen to capture a potent distillation of the day's main message that capitalism isn't working.

For the most part though, it was a day in the carnivalistic and anti-establishment tradition of "the Mob," whose excesses once kept kings and statesmen awake at night and inspired the revolutionary imaginations of the likes of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

It is unlikely that Gordon Brown, Barack Obama and the rest of the G-20 leaders enjoying their Jamie Oliver-prepared banquet on the other side of London dwelt too long on similar fears as they tucked into slow-roasted shoulder of lamb and asparagus.

LONDON, England – In case anyone had forgotten, the electronic billboards and scrolling tickers inside London's O2 Arena as Michael Jackson announced his musical comeback offered a constant reminder of the reclusive superstar's iconic stature in the transient world of show business.

Kim Jong Il, left, strikes a similar pose to Michael Jackson, right.

"Michael Jackson - King of Pop" they declared. But these days Jackson is more the Kim Jong Il of pop. Both are reclusive, secretive figures who have become prisoners of their own mythologies and about whom all manner of strange and apocryphal tales abound.

Like the North Korean leader, the pop star's every public appearance is scrutinized and analyzed for clues as to his physical and mental well being. And both share a weakness for the sort of tightly choreographed public displays of adoration that took place here on Thursday.

Jackson's fans, many of them far too young to remember him in his late 70s-early 80s heyday, turned out in modest force Thursday; several hundred of them obliged him by showing up to scream, some of them dutifully waiting up to five hours to set eyes on their idol.

"As his fans we want to say to him that we love him, he needs to be strong and give us a good show and we will always support him," said 28-year-old Joanne English.

Famously protective, the fans also made clear their disdain for the media, who they claim have vilified and ridiculed Jackson, greeting the arrival of the press corps - admittedly obscuring the views of a good proportion of those present - with boos, jeers and rich expletives.

Yet despite Jackson's obvious affection for his fans, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that his 10-date stand in London – his first concerts in more than a decade - is driven primarily by financial necessity.

The O2 Arena - a clinically corporate entertainment complex on a cold peninsula in an unloved part of southeast London and formerly the near-universally maligned Millennium Dome - has finally found its purpose as the provider of instant pension checks to the gerontocracy of popular music; a coterie of pampered stars it is perhaps fair to say have not always been as careful with their earnings as their accountants would have liked.

Now it looks like it is Jackson's turn to cash in his chips. His "Thriller" album may be the biggest selling album of all time but in an age when music is so easily swapped, pirated and ripped, live performance is now the only surefire banker for musicians looking for a quick return on their fanbase.

With Jackson vowing that these will be his last ever performances in London, the question many will now be wondering is whether the famously frail star will see out his stint by the Thames.

Jackson's best music may still sound as fresh as ever but is it really realistic to expect him to put his 50-year-old body through the sort of punishing dance routines that have been his signature?

DAVOS, Switzerland – For an event synonymous with the sort of blue sky thinking that has become an executive cliché, Davos does a good job of narrowing your horizons.

Speed-dating, Davos-style.

This small ski resort has been locked down for the past few days ahead of the World Economic Forum which officially gets under way on Wednesday.

Police stand guard at regular security checkpoints, helpful but firm, diligently and discretely checking credentials. Somewhere overhead a helicopter can be heard but not seen through the swirling snow.

Out on the streets, pedestrians just in from New York, Beijing or London stare at their feet as if they have just met, investing each shuffling step with ungainly caution as they seek to avoid an undignified slip-up on the perilously icy pavement.

The venue itself is a claustrophobic fortress corralled inside chain fencing and walls of plastic sheeting intended to shield the wealthy and powerful from prying eyes and unwelcome guests.

Once inside, narrow stairwells lead down into a warren-like nuclear bunker temporarily reconditioned as a cramped and fetid media center from which large unmarked white doors could just as easily lead you into a conference room as a chemical toilet.

For the business delegates gathered here for the next five days, Davos is a corporate "Green Zone" offering temporary respite from the economic carnage beyond its high security perimeter - mass job losses across continents, industry bailouts and battered stock markets - and a chance to take stock of what many fear will be even more daunting challenges ahead.

This has been styled as a more chastened, less complacent Davos that is in tune with the desperate times - but everything is relative.

Up on the hill at the exclusive five-star Belvedere Hotel, the new age of austerity hasn't arrived just yet.

As the champagne and red wine flows at the evening's welcome receptions for delegates the mood is upbeat as old acquaintances are reunited, Davos friendships rekindled and business contacts schmoozed. For newcomers, a "speed-dating" session for "young global leaders" has been arranged.

Perhaps the economic crisis can wait until the political heavyweights fly in.

WASHINGTON D.C. – They started to gather as soon as they heard the result around 11 p.m. At first uncertainly but then, as their numbers grew - and nobody tried to stop them - with growing confidence, noise and exuberance.

Revellers outside the White House pose with the President-Elect.

By 2 a.m. a full scale street celebration was in full swing with hundreds of people spilling out across Lafayette Square just a few yards in front of the White House lawns and dozens more joining them by the minute, dancing, bouncing and exchanging high fives and hugs with strangers as the sounds of drums and revelry filled the night air.

"Yes we did!" they chanted. "Obama! O-O-Obama! Obama! O-O-Obama!" Others appeared too emotional and tearful to do anything but scream. "FUNK THE GOVERNMENT!" said one banner. "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" read another.

At one point somebody arrived holding aloft a cardboard cut-out of Barack Obama, prompting a rush for photos draped around the President-Elect.

Along nearby 14th Street drivers pounded car horns and waved Obama flags and Stars and Stripes from their windows in the manner of celebrating soccer fans, as if the United States had just won the World Cup of politics, which, in a sense, it had.

"It's only four years," howled bitter Republicans gathered outside a nearby bar.

Obama campaign volunteer Kristin Olsen, 36, had flown into D.C. after voting in California earlier in the day. "It restores my hope in America, it really does," she said. "It's amazing. I can't believe it."

Randy Foster, a 57-year-old software engineer and another Obama campaign worker, said he'd driven into downtown D.C. from Virginia to witness the historic scenes for himself.

"I've been spending months ringing doorbells and making phone calls and I don't even like people," he joked. "Barack Obama means a future. The American people have taken back the White House."

Michael Levy, a government employee, said Obama's election victory had united the country: "I came down here to feel the excitement and the energy. This feels like the first time we've ever actually elected someone who is going to make a stand. For the first time this is one America."

"I never thought I would see this so soon," said law student Rae Cousins, 29, of the election of the country's first African-American president: "It shows how far we've come both as African-American people and as a country."

"I was hardcore Barack from the first time I heard him speak," said 18-year-old Lauren Dufrat.

Reflecting Obama's international popularity, many of those joining the fun were non-Americans. Eabha Beary from Dublin, Ireland, had come over to the U.S. for two months to volunteer for his presidential campaign. "I couldn't vote but I worked hard. This is one the best days of my life," she said.

Hassan Idris, visiting the U.S. from Sudan, said: "Democracy is in good hands in America."

As popular as Barack Obama's election night triumph was, there was also relief that an end was in sight to George W. Bush's eight-year presidency.

"You don't have to go back to Texas but you've got to get the hell out of the White House," said Mark Buddoo.

"I came down here to help Bush pack his stuff," said 25-year-old law student Kelvin Carter.

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - 11.55 p.m. ET: U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama takes the stage in Chicago with wife Michelle and daughters, Malia and Sasha.

Barack Obama addresses 125,000 in Chicago following his victory over John McCain.

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a country where all things are possible... who still question the power of democracy, tonight is your answer," Obama says. "Americans have sent a message to the world that we are not a collection of individuals, or a collection of red and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America."

"It's been a long time coming but tonight because of what we did on this day, in this election, change has come to America."

Obama said he had received an "extraordinarily gracious" phone call from rival John McCain. He praised McCain's unimaginable sacrifices for America and called him a "brave and selfless leader."

Obama dedicated his victory to his supporters and campaign volunteers but warned of fresh challenges ahead.

"The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or one term but I have never been more hopeful that we will get there. I promise you that we as a people will get there. There will be setbacks and false starts. We know the government can't solve every problem but I will always be honest about the problems we face and I will listen to you, especially when we disagree... This victory alone is not the change we seek. it is only the chance to make that change."

11.15 p.m. ET: John McCain concedes defeat in front of supporters at his election night event in Phoenix, Arizona: "We have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken and they have spoken clearly."

McCain said he'd "had the honor of calling President-Elect Barack Obama" to boos and jeers from some supporters. "This is an historic election and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans," McCain continued. "I wish godspeed to the man who was my opponent and will be my president."

11.00 p.m. ET: CNN projects Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States and the nation's first African-American president. Tens of thousands of Obama supporters gathered in Chicago's Grant Park go wild, chanting the campaign slogan "Yes we can!" Joe Biden becomes Vice-President Elect.

CNN projects victory for Obama in Virginia (13) - the crucial east coast battleground state which had voted Republican in every election since 1968. With voting closed on the west coast, CNN projects California (55), Oregon (7) Washington (11) and Hawaii (4) in the Democratic column, taking Obama to 297 electoral college votes - enough to claim the White House.

10.20 p.m. ET: John McCain picks up two more traditionally "red" states, CNN projects. Texas (34) and Mississippi (6) help the Republican claw back some of the deficit (207 to 135) . Dana Bash at McCain's Phoenix's election night gathering says senior Republican advisors tell her they see "no path to the White House for John McCain at this point."

Analyst David Gergen: "We are seeing a new order emerging. It is the Latino vote. It is the African-American vote and it is the youth vote. It is very powerful and it is a hugely important part of this Democratic coalition."

10.10 p.m. ET: John McCain picks up Arkansas' six electoral college votes to push his total to 95.

10 p.m. ET: CNN calls Iowa (7) for Barack Obama, pushing the Democratic candidate over 200 electoral college votes. John McCain picks up the safe Republican states of Utah (5) and Kansas (6) to take his tally to 89. Analyst David Gergen: "Obama is getting very, very close. All he needs now are two out of three very safe states. He's looking like he's going to sail past 300. That is a very, very big win for the Democrats."

Former Democratic Party strategist James Carville: "The Republican Party is getting a drubbing tonight the likes of which we have never seen."

9.45 p.m. ET: Barack Obama picks up New Mexico (5) while John McCain has Louisiana (9) in the bag, according to CNN projections. In the popular vote Obama has 50 percent (19,278,049) to McCain's 49 percent (19,598,059) - a difference of just 320,010 votes.

Anderson Cooper: "Barack Obama is racing towards 270 right now." Political analyst David Gergen: "John McCain simply could not sustain the argument that he represented change. He was too close to President George W. Bush." Analyst William Bennett: "This is almost the perfect storm for Barack Obama."

9.30 p.m. ET: CNN calls the crucial battleground state of Ohio – with 20 electoral college votes - for Barack Obama. Wolf Blitzer: "No Republican has ever been elected without Ohio. This is a huge, huge win for Obama."

Dana Bash at John McCain's election night party in Phoenix, Arizona: "It is absolutely crushing for John McCain. He knows what this means historically. Reality is starting to set in inside the McCain campaign."

Obama now has 194 electoral college votes to McCain's 94.

9.25 p.m. ET: John McCain picks up West Virginia's five electoral college votes to take his total to 69. Country music star Hank Williams Jr. is trying to raise the spirits of McCain supporters at the Republican candidate's election night party in Phoenix, Arizona, but it looks like a long night ahead. 

9.10 p.m. ET: CNN calls Georgia (15) for John McCain. The Republican now has 64 electoral college votes to Barack Obama's 174.

9 p.m. ET: Barack Obama picks up another cluster of states, according to CNN projections. Wisconsin (10), Minnesota (10), Michigan (17), New York (31) and Rhode Island (4) are all now in the blue column. McCain picks up Alabama's nine electoral college votes but Obama now has 174 electoral college votes to McCain's 49.

8.40 p.m. ET: CNN projects Pennsylvania (21) for Obama: "This is a huge, huge projected win for Senator Obama," says Wolf Blizter. "Senator McCain made a major effort to try to win Pennsylvania but it wasn't to be."

Candi Crowley at Obama's election night party in Chicago: "We have talked a lot about Pennsylvania. John McCain put so much of his last minute time and so many of his precious dollars into Pennsylvania."

Anderson Cooper: "That's devastating for the McCain campaign. They said they had to win in Pennsylvania."

Obama now has 102 electoral votes, McCain is still on 34.

Obama supporters gather in Chicago.

8.30 p.m. ET: CNN projects New Hampshire (4) for Obama: "This was a state Senator Obama really wanted to win," says Wolf Blitzer. Analyst Bill Schneider: "This is a very big breakthrough for Democrats." Obama 81, McCain 34

8 p.m. ET: With voting closed across much of the eastern United States, the electoral battleground map is starting to take shape.

CNN projects Republican candidate John McCain will pick up Oklahoma (7 electoral college votes), South Carolina (8), Tennessee (11), Kentucky (8) while Democratic candidate Barack Obama is projected to collect wins in Connecticut (7) , Delaware (3), Illinois (21), Maine (4), Maryland (10), Massachusetts (12), New Jersey (15), Vermont (3) and the District of Columbia (3).

That gives Obama 77 electoral college votes to McCain's 34 - but key battleground states including Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio are still too close to call.

FAIRFAX, Virginia – Wet weather and working hours dampened late voting in northern Virginia but an unprecedented early morning surge and absentee ballots cast ahead of election day looked to have set the key state on course for a record turnout in a U.S. presidential vote.

Isabella Johnson, 96, votes in Franklin, Virginia. Her grandson drove her 70 miles to vote for Obama.

At West Springfield High School, students were struggling to sell mountains of cookies, muffins and bagels they had baked to raise money towards their end-of-year prom as voters slowed to a trickle and morning drizzle became an afternoon downpour that never stopped.

In northern Virginia - seen as key to the result in the state because of the region's supposed Democratic leanings - polling officials and campaign volunteers in many precincts were already tidying up when polls closed at 7 p.m. as fears of chaotic queues and a late rush to vote proved unfounded.

"Everybody got off their butts and voted early," said a campaign volunteer, surveying an empty car park outside the Douglas MacArthur School in Alexandria just 10 minutes after polls closed. "It's been a long day... A long year and a half."

It was a different story earlier in the day as workers sought to beat the crowds by voting before heading for the office. Around 40 percent of expected votes had been cast by 10 a.m., according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper.

But by midday, the queues outside most polling locations had vanished with voters spending just a few minutes inside casting their ballots.

Sabrina Root, a 27-year-old accountant who voted at the Fairfax Elk Lodge, described casting her vote as "painless and quick" but said she'd been lucky to get the day off work.

A regular voter in local, state and national elections, Root said she had noticed a groundswell of interest in the presidential contest. "I just get the sense that more people are actually paying attention and caring," she said. "More people are obviously coming out to vote."

Root said she expected election night to be tight. "We're only on the east coast and there's a huge country out there that's still to vote."

Stay at home father Hank Strother, 50, said he hadn't decided who to vote for until he'd got inside the voting booth. "A lot of people made up their minds a month ago but a lot has happened in the last week," he said.

Strother added that he was disappointed that the four other presidential candidates on the Virginia ballot - independent Ralph Nader, Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr, the Green Party's Cynthia McKinney and the Constitution Party's Chuck Baldwin - had not received more coverage.

"It's going to be an interesting evening," he added. "It could still go either way."

There were voting problems reported elsewhere in Virginia. In Richmond, optical-scan readers failed after voters sodden after waiting in line in morning rain accidentally got their ballot papers wet. Also in the state capital, voters in one precinct were kept waiting until after 7 a.m. because an election official overslept.

But most voters were satisfied with the way the day had gone. "It's not going to be an easy night but hopefully we'll get a result," said Kathy, a paediatrician. "I know it's going to be very close but it seems pretty well organized so hopefully it won't get too messy. This isn't Florida."

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - Election day started in darkness for many voters in Virginia as they headed to voting places before dawn in an effort to beat an anticipated record surge in participation.

Voters line up before 6 a.m. outside the City Hall East voting precinct in Richmond, Virginia, Tuesday.

Queues were forming from 5 a.m. outside the Charles Beatley Jr. Central Library in Alexandria. By 7.30 a.m. several hundred people were waiting in line with the whole process taking around an hour and a half.

"It was pretty well organized. I got through quicker than I thought I would," said Linda Harris, a 60-year-old American Red Cross worker. "I wanted to make sure I got my vote in early. It's really important. For the first time in my adult life I am very excited about this election."

Many of those waiting said they were first-time voters. Sales worker Dina Tesfaye, 20, said she was prepared to wait as long as it took to cast her ballot. "This is an opportunity to make our country better," she told CNN.

"I just got registered," said 32-year-old administrator Rasheka Barnes. "I never bothered before because I honestly thought my vote wouldn't make a difference. But I heard about so many new voters registering in Virginia and I thought they were all like me."

Sarah Craighill, a 34-year-old software designer, said she had waited in line since 5.45 a.m. "I was a little worried about the time it would take but everyone seems pretty relaxed. They understand there's probably going to be some hiccups. It's going to get worse throughout the day. I have a feeling there's going to be some stress for people who turn up later."

Other voting places were quieter. In Alexandria's Douglas MacArthur School precinct many votes were cast in advance through absentee ballots.

"It's pretty good in there right now," said lawyer Brett Egusa, 37. "I feel like this is an historic election and I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to have my voice heard."

"I wanted to get my vote in before work just to make sure," said Kimberley Pearson, a 26-year-old campaign director, who cast her ballot in just half an hour. "It was really smooth, it's so organized in there."

Pearson said she had switched her registration from her home state of Iowa. "I knew Virginia was a swing state so I thought it was really important to vote here and play my part."

"I was impressed by how quick it was but it's definitely going to be busier later on," said PR executive Josh Hildebrand, 28. "This election is going to be so tight."

Another first time voter, Alpha Sesay, a 40-year-old technician, said he had been motivated to register by the state of the economy.

"I'm tired of how things have been going," he told CNN. "The economy is so bad. People are losing their jobs. We all love America and it's time to choose somebody to help this country."

MANASSAS, Virginia – Barack Obama brought down the curtain on his extraordinary presidential campaign late Monday night by telling tens of thousands of supporters in northern Virginia: "Let's go change the world."

Obama's rallies have become ever more like stadium gigs.

Virginians had been warned to expect to stand in the cold for hours to cast their votes Tuesday with record turnout expected as Obama attempts to wrench the traditionally Republican state from rival John McCain's grasp.

Those present at Manassas' Prince William County Fairgrounds - around 85,000 according to some estimates - got a foretaste of that on a chilly evening. Queues had formed long before gates opened at 5 p.m. but it was well beyond 10 p.m. - an hour behind schedule - by the time Obama took the stage.

As Obama's campaign has gathered momentum, his rallies have become ever more like stadium gigs complete with all the trappings - merchandise, fast food stalls, huge crowds, warmup acts and the sense of being witness to something momentous. Demonstrating how effectively Obama has captured the moment, there is an impressive cross-section of races and ages and a youthful mood of optimism and expectation.

"I came down here tonight because I feel like history is being made," said 45-year-old teacher and mother of six Deb Carter.

"I wanted to feel the energy around me and just be a part of this because I think we almost have a second revolution in this country. This is just so important and I wanted to stand up and show how I feel."

After nearly two years of campaigning this was the final time Obama would deliver the now familiar lines of a speech he must have made with slight variations four or five times a day for as long as he can remember. Perhaps the day was lent added poignancy by the fact that it had started with his learning of his grandmother's death in Hawaii although he showed no sigh of letting his emotions get the better of him.

And if there was a hint of confidence in his description of McCain as a "worthy opponent," Obama surely knows this election will not be over until every vote has been tallied. With long queues and election day chaos expected in many swing states, there are still too many unknowns for anything to be taken for granted.

"I just want to say that whatever happens I have been deeply humbled by this journey. You have moved me again and again," Obama said. "Virginia, I just have one more word for you. Tomorrow."