Calm authority of a born leader

英国《金融时报》社评
Sometimes great expectations are fulfilled. Whether this will be said of Barack Obama's presidency of course lies ahead of us. But without fear of contradiction it can be said of his inauguration.
It was a remarkable event. A vast multitude of Americans, ordinary citizens from every corner of the country, had gathered in the great space between the Capitol and the Washington Monument to hear their new president take the oath of office and make his first address. The mood was one of delighted celebration, yet it was also attentive and respectful. This was an enormous assembly not of fans but of citizens. The spirit of the occasion, as much as its awesome scale, was a soaring affirmation of democracy.
Despite some fumbling as Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath, President Obama soon recovered. His short, sober speech struck notes familiar from his campaign, but the moment could not fail to invest them with fresh significance. He was politically encompassing, reaching out to sceptics and opponents. He touched admiringly on US history and traditions, but without vainglory and not without reminding his listeners of its errors. Addressing his nation's enemies, he was measured but stern. He did not disguise the difficulties that face the country; he addressed them with quiet confidence.
There is no bombast or chauvinism or phony sentiment in Mr Obama's oratory. He inspires, yet his appeal is always to the intellect; still he holds an audience of this size spellbound. It was the performance of a born leader.
The challenges that confront him are daunting. He must contend immediately with a deep recession that might yet become a protracted depression. He must win the approval of Congress and the country at large for decisive new measures to stabilise the crippled financial system, for a huge new fiscal stimulus, and for subsequent steps to bring public borrowing back under control. He has promised comprehensive reform of healthcare, a goal that has eluded many of his predecessors. He must restore the presidency to its proper constitutional place. He must protect the country from terrorist attack.
Mr Obama starts with the great goodwill of his country and all of the civilised world. He again made clear that he seeks co-operation with other nations. He understands the international dimension of many of the problems he must confront. In many ways his inauguration is a new start not just for the US but for the world. America's friends must also seize the moment.
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