"It's not the votes that count. It's who counts the votes."  — Josef Stalin

As I watch intently with the rest of the world the inauguration speech of US president Barak Obama, I am reminded that an authentic electoral process can signify major political change. After years of inauspicious results in this part of the world, I had almost forgotten about the power of genuine elections.

I hear the words. I am moved. Where does the radical shift come from?

I have a hunch that change did not come as much from up there, as it did from down here. That's where I saw the winds sweep ferociously for years, before the leaves finally ruffled and dropped.