president-elect

The honeymoon period that most new presidents enjoy has probably been voided this time around. President Barack Obama will face a financial crisis that only threatens to become more severe at the start of 2009. And there are no simple fixes.

Fueled by their congressional victories in 2006, House Democratic leaders moved bills on renewable energy, health insurance for children and an economic stimulus package — only to run into a wall of GOP opposition in the Senate and presidential vetoes. But Obama’s election could tear down that wall.

Obama fuses JFK with RFK — the cool concealing the intense emotional message. It’s hard to think of a comparable figure on the American landscape. Well, there’s one. Sinatra.