Oprah on Obama: "It Feels Like Hope Won"

Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt and Rev. Jesse Jackson were among the estimated 240,000 people who came out to Chicago's Grant Park to celebrate Barack Obama's historic election as 44th President of the United States yesterday.

Apprentice villain Omarosa, Will.I.Am and Star Jones were also spotted in the crowd. 

Oprah:  "There are not even words to talk about what this night means.  This has been the greatest experience of my lifetime," she told reporters.  "I haven't seen a sense of unity like this since 9/11.  Now, we're all brought together in the name of hope,  it feels like hope won, it feels like America did the right thing."

Other celebrities were also quick to sing the praises of the President-elect, who won a decisive victory over John McCain, becoming the first-ever African American to claim the White House.  Here's a sampling:

Oprah's friend Gayle King:  "On a scale of 1 to 10, this has to be a 15!"

Colin Powell told CNN that he wept at Obama's victory and praised the way Obama ran an all-inclusive campaign.  "He wanted to be a transformational figure, to bridge the gap between generations, " Powell said.  "And I think that's what allowed him to win this election.  So, we're very, very proud to have a new American President who also happens to be African American."  cnn

Rev. Jesse Jackson was seen weeping in the audience at Grant Park.

Condoleezza Rice:  "As an African American I'm especially proud.  Yesterday was an extraordinary step forward." cnn

Kanye West:  "Hi Mom, Obama won!"  (His mom passed away a year ago)

Diddy: " It felt like my vote was the vote that put him into office ... And that may not be true but that's how much power if felt like I had."

Usher:  "Isn't this incredible news?  Man, this is incredible!  It's so incredible to see that this historical thing has happened.  This will go down in history, in black history, for all of the sacrifices that the great Joseph Lowery and Martin Luther King made, this actually pays off for their sacrifice ... I'm speechless.  I don't even know what to say!"

George Clooney:  "I congratulate President-elect Obama on his historic victory, and now it's time to begin unifying the country so we can take on the extraordinary challenges that this generation faces."

Russell Simmons:  "I feel like America has dodged a bullet.  Let's support this beautiful leader to do the work necessary to promote and execute on the change agenda we all voted for."

Ethan Hawke:  "I'm so excited right now, I haven't had this much optimism in a long time.  Tonight is historic!"

Madonna:  "I'm so f---ing happy right now!"

Lindsay Lohan:  "Yes we can."

Samantha Ronson:  "Yes we did."