“It’s time for us to change America,” then-Sen. Barack Obama said on this date two years ago in Denver, accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president of the United States.

“Change happens – change happens because the American people demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. America, this is one of those moments. I believe that, as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming, because I’ve seen it, because I’ve lived it.”

He was right, but not in the way he intended. The next day, Sarah Palin instantly became a national political figure as the running mate of Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Six months later, CNBC reporter Rick Santelli gave voice to the Tea Party movement. Today, Fox News host Glenn Beck held his “Restoring Honor” rally at the Lincoln Memorial.

Palin, Santelli and Beck are points on a curve the arc of which is clear: citizens will regain control of their federal government and stop its reckless spending. Evidence of that will come Nov. 2 at the ballot box.

Mortimer Zuckerman, the chairman and editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report, was once a big backer of Barack Obama who has come to his senses.

Zuckerman’s must-read column this week reflects the precarious moment the country faces. It’s titled, “The Most Fiscally Irresponsible Government in U.S. History: current federal budget trends are capable of destroying this country.”

That simple, yet stunning, realization – taking hold in hearts and minds – is the change we’ve been waiting for.