Obamarama

Later today 'a simple man' with all his strengths and weaknesses, hopes and fears, will become arguably the most influential leader on the planet.

Millions of eyes will be on him and millions of ears will be listening to him; he will for those few moments whether he likes it or not, acknowledge and in some unexplainable way carry the expectations of 'his' people. Atlas-like, he will stand looking invicible, with the world on his shoulders.

Someone said, 'to become the President of the United States of America is like drinking from a firehose' - so how will Barak Obama avoid being washed away?

Perhaps, if enough other simple men and women around him, and out there in the states, counties, cities and towns ask not 'who is in charge?', but 'how shall we live?', then Mr Obama will end up presiding over the most exciting period of US history.