From Washington DC

IN REALITY TV terms, it has been an Amazing Race and two years of Survivor. Or, if you like, American Idol.

In the course of 2008 presidential race, Americans have made history, regained their political innocence, rediscovered political intimacy and set new records for participation.

Now that it is almost over, a look at the race that remade American politics:

1. Yes they can!

Senator Barack Obama, 47, need not win the election to prove it. The fact that he has became the first black candidate of a major American political party has paved a path for a once enslaved people to aspire to the highest office in the land. 

Blacks in America have produced champion athletes, rock stars, movie stars and some of the most prominent community leaders. But the White House was thought to be politically unfeasible. No longer. 

For a nation which took a long and bloody route to dismantle racial segregation in schools, restaurants, buses and trains, the achievement is like astronaut Neil Armstrong's giant step for mankind. Minorities across the world are taking notice.

For a while, the race question hung in the air. Mr Obama, fighting the primary battle, faced stubborn resistance from white voters who seemed unwilling to close the gap with him. 

His utterance, made in private but outed by a blogger, about small-town Americans clinging to guns and religion, seemed to have damned him. His longstanding ties with a controversial pastor who harboured anti-white sentiments also caused suspicion.

But Mr Obama went on to disown the pastor and made a stirring speech about race relations, partly undoing the damage. Along the way, he also dropped his objection to wearing flag pins on his chest (it was token patriotism, he had maintained). It was a concession to those who wanted an assurance that the son of a Kenyan father who bore the middle name 'Hussein' had his heart in the right place.

Race 2008 struck a blow for gender inequality too. Republican running mate Sarah Palin now stands just one hurdle removed from becoming the country's first female vice-president.

2. Look ma, no ideology

When the race opened, it seemed no great risk to foretell a shoo-in Democratic year. President George W Bush was ending his two terms as America's most unpopular president, the Republican brand was - to quote the party leaders - "in the trash can".

The Republicans hovered briefly over the party favourites - former Massachusetts governor and millionaire businessman Mitt Romney and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee before making a beeline for Senator John McCain. Compared to Mr Obama's, his nomination was sewed up fairly early on, though not without a fight.

As for the Democrats, they had all but declared New York Senator Hillary Clinton the inevitable winner before they enacted their longest primary battle in history. Mr Barack Obama opened with a stunning victory in mainly-white Iowa and went on to outplay the 'experienced' Mrs Clinton in a bitterly fought state-by-state battle. 

The country took a long time to choose the contenders this year and look who it found - Mr McCain, who proudly cites his longstanding bi-partisan record in the Senate, and Mr Obama, who declared himself the post-partisan candidate from Day One of the race.

In the process, the American electorate took a collective breather from the pitched partisan battles of the past years and returned to the state of political innocence. 

In choosing party rebel McCain, the Republicans moved away from the confusion of the Bush Administration which has upended the party ideology. Instead of a small government with limited spending, in line with party principles, Mr Bush is poised to bequeath a record budget deficit of US$1 trillion to his successor. 

Equally, the American voters have looked past Mr Obama's voting record of being the most left-leaning of senators and placed faith in his economic plan. Opinion polls have made that clear, and way before the financial storm. 

Whatever happened to conventional wisdom of America, the centre-right nation?

3. American dream redefined

There was a collective intake of breath when Senator Obama declared healthcare was a "right" during a televised debate. In contrast, Mr McCain said it was a "responsibility" - a more familiar argument that that good employers should provide health care to their employees. And that government should reward the employers with tax cuts.

The US is unique among the wealthy democracies to not offer universal healthcare to citizens. But with the number of uninsured Americans - ie they have no health cover and get little or no health care until they end up in an emergency room - standing at a huge 47 million, the logic underpinning the American dream is under strain.

If it were not for the financial crisis, it would not be too difficult to imagine healthcare as the top election issue. And a growing number of Americans seem to think Mr Obama is right on this one. 

With that, a key narrative of American political culture will be reshaped - that a "true American" gets ahead on his own. That has been the founding principle of this country where an individual in "pursuit of happiness" expects the government to keep out of the way and does not look to it for succour when hard times hit.

Compared to Europe, where the collective rather than individualistic spirit prevails, Americans pay lower taxes. And by extension the nation spends less on pensions, unemployment benefits and things like child-care allowances. And yes, healthcare.

It has to be said that globalisation has been hard on America in the last decade. Surveys show that voters feel less secure now than ever before about their own and their children's future. Home to the world's best universities and research institutions, Americans are being knocked out of global competitiveness by poor schooling. Wherever Mr Obama promised to invest more in early education and make college tuition affordable, he met loud approval. 

At the same time, Americans are also less sure about their place in the world, the image of the country battered by the Abu Ghraib and Gitmo Bay abuses, its resources stressed by two wars, its supremacy challenged by a more sure-footed China and a resurgent Russia.

The next president can't navigate the future looking in the rear-view mirror. He will need to redefine what it means to be American in a globalised world.

4. Put your money where your mouse is

For some, this pitch from the Obama campaign last Saturday was a real steal: "You could be one of five first-time donors to go backstage on Election Night, as long as you give - in any amount - before Sunday at midnight.

"If you're selected, you and a guest will be flown to Chicago, put up in a hotel, and given a front row seat to history." That is, to Mr Obama's victory - or concession - speech on Tuesday night.

Pitches like these, possible at the cheap through mass emails, caused the signature phenomenon of this race - Mr Obama's record-breaking US$605 million treasure trove, more than double Mr Bush's record feat in 2004. To the wonderment of all, the most numerous of his donors are those who have given small sums - under US$5. And the fundraising has been an e-transaction.

The McCain camp woke up late to the potential of the Net, but also harnessed it, though not as well as the Democrats to identify and communicate with potential voters. 

The old-style political courtship - think long-limbed Abraham Lincoln on the stump - was reborn. 

Face-to-face contact with voters, given up as an option more expensive than few minutes on TV, made a comeback. Technology helped delete the trial-and-error method from door-to-door campaigning. With a database on consumers and the Google maps, the pinpointing of potential voters becomes a breeze. A campaigner knew exactly which door to knock.

The vast outreach - by both campaigns - contributed to political rallies of an unusual size, an unprecedented number of early voters, and perhaps what might be a record-setting turnout tomorrow. 

The Internet did more  - enabling gaffes to travel at the speed of sound and light. Thus Mrs Palin and her winks are on permanent display at Youtube. Mr Obama's controversial ex-pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright's rants loop endlessly on many websites. Mr Obama's running mate Joe Biden's patronising references to him are a double-click away, to be circulated among.

There is one last favour the Internet could yet do the voter. A number of websites are on alert for catching and documenting voting irregularities on Election Day. Just go Twitter. 

5. It's the economy...

When the political season opened, there was a ringing buzz about this history-making campaign which promised Americans the first black president in Mr Obama, the first woman president in Mrs Clinton, the oldest president in Mr McCain, at 72. As also, the first Mormon president in Mr Romney and the first Hispanic president in Mr Bill Richardson who was knocked out in the early Democratic primaries. 

In the closing lap of the race, the crisis struck and all debates about racism, sexism, ageism were rendered moot.

With economy going up in smoke, the first virtue the voters are seeking is competence. Suddenly, Mr Obama is not that black anymore and Mr McCain not just old but experienced.

As they say, this race ain't over till it's over.