The results of the US presidential elections came too late for the editorial comment but the final stage of the race to the White House is the top story in all the papers.

Press reviewed by Michal Kubicki

RZECZPOSPOLITA writes that the 2008 presidential campaign has already made history. The number of ‘firsts’ is impressive, if only to mention the first woman candidate – Hillary Clinton and the first mixed-race candidate – president-elect Barack Obama.
GAZETA WYBORCZA claims that the United States is no longer a superpower. But one should be confident that the world’s strongest democracy will come out of its slump – thanks to its values, energy and a sense of optimism.
NASZ DZIENNIK describes Obama as a ‘showman’ and a ‘political product of mass media democracy’. The daily expresses the view that the US political system is such that even the worst president is not able to do much harm to America.
Looking back at George W. Bush’s presidency, DZIENNIK says that his second term was dedicated to improving and tightening Polish-American relations. The last years in particular have kept Poland, alongside the Czech Republic, the Ukraine and Lithuania, on Washington’s map, and, as such, on the radar of the rest of the world.

Moving on to Poland’s domestic scene, GAZETA WYBORCZA takes a close look at the results of a public opinion survey which say that for most Poles the period following the collapse of communism in 1989 is the best in the nation’s 20th-century history. The collapse of communism in 1989, the regaining of independence in 1918 and the election of a Polish Pope are listed as the most important developments of the previous century.
The most prominent Polish personalities in the 20th century are Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.

On the sports columns, DZIENNIK has an interview with the national football team coach Leo Beenhakker who claims he enjoys full support of the newly elected head of the Football Federation Grzegorz Lato. ‘I know that Lato was not among my supporters, but let’s cool down and wait. We have the same goal – to see Poland qualify to the World Cup finals in the South African Republic. In an interview for another daily, RZECZPOSPOLITA, the Dutch coach says the only thing he wants is to have ‘no one meddling in his job’. He adds: ‘Coaches can be sure of only two things: that they will die one day, and that sooner or later they will be dismissed. For now, just let me do my job.’