I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT my entire life and last Tuesday in an historic electoral landslide it finally happened. I'll admit that in many ways I've been afraid of just such a presidential election despite its inevitability. It was bound to happen in my lifetime, if I lived long enough. It could have happened years ago, but for one reason or another the right candidate never came along.

And I honestly had no bias against Barack Obama for possibly being the one. In truth I never even noticed (and no doubt some people reading this are clucking their tongues muttering, "Sure, you didn't.") the most obvious personal difference between Barack Obama and myself. In fact it wasn't until after the election that the full weight of what happened hit me square in the face: for the first time in history, come January 20, the president of the United States will be younger than me.

I am old enough to have seen the first Catholic president, the first Texan president, the first pardoned president, the first born again president, the first movie star president and the first idiot president. Barack Obama's election as the first African American president is perhaps the most notable development in the presidency in history, let alone my lifetime. But being the first "younger" president has enormous implications.

It's almost as unsettling as the first time I was pulled over by a cop who was obviously younger than me and who called me "sir" like he meant it.

Being older than the president of the United States has its advantages, I'm sure. Can't think of any off hand, but give me some time to discover them. If I was the same age in 1960 as I am now, John F. Kennedy's election would have thrown me for a loop. JFK was not only the youngest president ever elected, but he would have been 15 years younger than me. And this was back in the days when 30 was the new 50.

Middle aged people acted like senior citizens back in the 60's. If you look at old movies showing a theatrical production everyone in the audience had white hair. Having a president younger than me could be considered a sign of encroaching geezerhood. And I suppose there's only one way to fight that.

You heard it hear first: McCain in 2012!