“Mr. Obama carries with him the hopes of the planet.”

Source: KAL's cartoon from The Economist, Jan 15th 2009


"A crowd of 2m or more is making its way to Washington, DC, to witness the inauguration of Mr Obama. Billions more will watch it on television. All will do so in a spirit that has been missing for a while—one of optimism. This is not just because a presidency knocked sideways by the events of September 11th 2001, is ending. Next week’s inauguration also bears witness to America’s awesome power of self-renewal. Because he is young, handsome and intelligent, and also because as the child of a Kansan and a Kenyan he reconciles in his own person one of the world’s most hateful divisions, Mr Obama carries with him the hopes of the planet." (The Economist)

Expectations are very high but the burdens are too many for one man to bear. Click here to read the full article in this week's The Economist.