Chanting and shouting their delight at Barack Obama`s historic election win, hundreds of young demonstrators flooded the avenue in front of the White House late Tuesday in raucous celebration.

Many in the crowd -- chiefly students from Washington-area universities -- waved red, white, and blue balloons, others pushed their Obama campaign signs to the sky, most chanted Obama`s name, his `yes, we can` slogan, or `USA! USA!`

Laura Kiefer, 18, laughed about the key role her home state of Ohio played in the Democrat`s historic victory -- `I got a hug from my entire dorm, it was great!`

Her friend Kerianne Cantelmo, also 18, said they had watched the returns on television and had waited to be sure that Obama had won because `we didn`t want to jinx anything` before heading to US President George W. Bush`s doorstep.

`We are all telling him -- go now, Obama is coming, it`s over,` said Shaterra Lee, 20, a George Washington University student, referring to the vastly unpopular Bush.

`This is the change that we`ve been waiting for,` said Lee`s friend Chantal Romain, 20. `It`s historic, I can`t wait to tell my kids about it.`

A small group of dispirited supporters of Obama`s Republican rival, John McCain, and his running mate Sarah Palin also took to the stretch of Pennyslvania Avenue in front of the presidential mansion.

`I`m going to throw up if I stay here any longer,` said Brittney Morrett, 20, a George Washington student from Pennyslvania who was wearing a t-shirt with Obama`s face with a red line through it, like a no-smoking sign.

Upon seeing two young women wearing McCain/Palin t-shirts, and seemingly holding each other up as they marched from the crowd, Morrett said dryly: `Oh, some friendly faces. We should all hug and cry.`

Some students were more confrontational about their dislike of Obama: Maxwell Anthony, 18, waved a red Soviet flag with a friend at the heart of the crowd.

Anthony, who said he borrowed the banner from a friend`s roommate, said it was `in mockery of the Obama movement` and repeatedly referred to the first African-American US president as `Comrade Obama.`

Anthony said he had not voted.