Obama the Janitor

I feel for Barack Obama. Sure, the guy is intelligent, capable, and telling from the way he ran his campaign and by the quality of his early cabinet picks, he looks like he’ll be a competent leader.

But his presidency may very well turn out to be one focused on cleaning up George W. Bush's mess. A janitor’s presidency. Obama’s vision of improved health care, a cleaner environment and a kinder America may be pushed aside by the political challenges and expense of working the country out of its wars, indebtedness and economic hard times.

Through his competent and quick cabinet picks, Obama may have also raised expectations for his presidency. Will people give Obama a break if his vision takes long to materialize? Or, will they become frustrated quickly if the economy continues to falter? Opposition to Obama has been muted since he won the election. But opposition will quickly appear at his first perceived misstep.

Obama faces huge challenges as the next President. Will he get the chance to act as a visionary, or will he be stuck being a janitor?