After countless months of super-exposure, the US presidential elections pretty much became a way of life.
Every newsreel and every periodical was bursting to tell us more, fueling plot lines that had become almost soap opera-like.
But now it is all over; now the 4th of November has finally been and gone and the world has exhausted the headlines revolving around the words 'historic', 'momentous' and 'the start of a new era'; what happens next? What is building up on the to-do list of Barrack Obama, the new President of the United States of America who will be sworn into office on 20 January 2009? The general expectation is that the new presidency will be the start of a whole new beginning.
So what does this entail? Firstly Mr Obama will need to appoint his team.
This includes key personnel such as Secretaries of Defense, the Treasury and State.
Top priority on the agenda is dealing with the economic crisis.
With the American economy facing its worst position since the Great Depression, the new US President is charged with the task of turning a potential recession on its head.
In fact, so eager is he and his Democratic Party to make a start, that there is talk of a recall of Congress to pass an economic stimulus bill even before his inauguration.
Next on the task list is dealing with the burning issue of global warming.
Will Barack Obama's call for a new technology research and development programme spark the end of America's dependency on imported oil? And with the end of the Kyoto Agreement in sight, will the new president be spearheading the signing of a new treaty on climate change? According to Obama's pledge on foreign policy, the next eighteen months will see US troops exiting Iraq.
However, if security falls down, this could spell a difficult decision for the newly elected president so his next task is a serious decision making exercise.
Making friends in Europe is next up.
After his visits earlier in the year, Barack Obama certainly gained a European fan base and the mission that follows is to cement these relationships and work more closely with overseas allies.
During the extensive and all-consuming US presidential election campaign, Barack Obama promised great things.
As a result, there is little doubt his biggest task will be managing the augmented expectations of the American people.
With a recession looming and all attention focusing on climbing out of that, maybe it will be some time before any of the other proposals on his to-do will be actioned.
But how long will the period of grace last? How far will the patience of those who gave their vote to the first black President of the United States of America be stretched before it thins a thread too far? As the population of the US keeps an eye on the progress of the presidential to-do list, no doubt the rest of the world will be watching in anticipation too.
Every newsreel and every periodical was bursting to tell us more, fueling plot lines that had become almost soap opera-like.
But now it is all over; now the 4th of November has finally been and gone and the world has exhausted the headlines revolving around the words 'historic', 'momentous' and 'the start of a new era'; what happens next? What is building up on the to-do list of Barrack Obama, the new President of the United States of America who will be sworn into office on 20 January 2009? The general expectation is that the new presidency will be the start of a whole new beginning.
So what does this entail? Firstly Mr Obama will need to appoint his team.
This includes key personnel such as Secretaries of Defense, the Treasury and State.
Top priority on the agenda is dealing with the economic crisis.
With the American economy facing its worst position since the Great Depression, the new US President is charged with the task of turning a potential recession on its head.
In fact, so eager is he and his Democratic Party to make a start, that there is talk of a recall of Congress to pass an economic stimulus bill even before his inauguration.
Next on the task list is dealing with the burning issue of global warming.
Will Barack Obama's call for a new technology research and development programme spark the end of America's dependency on imported oil? And with the end of the Kyoto Agreement in sight, will the new president be spearheading the signing of a new treaty on climate change? According to Obama's pledge on foreign policy, the next eighteen months will see US troops exiting Iraq.
However, if security falls down, this could spell a difficult decision for the newly elected president so his next task is a serious decision making exercise.
Making friends in Europe is next up.
After his visits earlier in the year, Barack Obama certainly gained a European fan base and the mission that follows is to cement these relationships and work more closely with overseas allies.
During the extensive and all-consuming US presidential election campaign, Barack Obama promised great things.
As a result, there is little doubt his biggest task will be managing the augmented expectations of the American people.
With a recession looming and all attention focusing on climbing out of that, maybe it will be some time before any of the other proposals on his to-do will be actioned.
But how long will the period of grace last? How far will the patience of those who gave their vote to the first black President of the United States of America be stretched before it thins a thread too far? As the population of the US keeps an eye on the progress of the presidential to-do list, no doubt the rest of the world will be watching in anticipation too.
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