A struggle in the sunshine

摘要

Fugitives from every hellhole on earth packed the hall. There were 417 Cubans, 95 Haitians, nine Brits and one Somali. In all, some 1,200 new citizens put their hands over their hearts and swore their first oath of loyalty to America. Then they cheered and hugged and cried and waved little flags. And when the ceremony ended and they wandered joyfully out of the building, campaign workers for Barack Obama and John McCain pounced on them and urged them to register to vote.rnOlga Willis, a lady from Russia with a fabulous gold handbag, signed up at the McCain booth. Stalin murdered her greatgrandfather and dumped several of her relatives in the snow in Siberia, she says, so she is none too keen on socialism. "Barack Obama says he will take from those who have too much. What is too much?" she asks. Mrs Willis, who left Russia nine years ago, is married to an American and works as a mortgage-broker. She asks the McCain volunteers if they have some bumper-stickers. They offer her one. She asks for another, because "we have two cars."