Editorial: Expectations for Obama could be set too high

‘ ‘ ‘ Yesterday at noon, Barack Obama became the president in a ceremony on the West Lawn of… ‘ ‘ ‘ Yesterday at noon, Barack Obama became the president in a ceremony on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building. In his inaugural address, he pledged to meet the challenges facing the United States’ security, economy and world image. ‘ ‘ ‘ With more than 2 million people watching from the National Mall and record ratings expected from television broadcasts of the ceremony, it’s safe to say that Obama’s presidency might be the most anticipated that this country has ever seen. ‘ ‘ ‘ At least some of this can be attributed to his campaign, which was easily the slickest and most lavish presidential campaign in history. Obama and his aides were masters at portraying feelings of hope, excitement and a desire for change that, after spending eight years with an increasingly unpopular President George W. Bush, couldn’t seem to come soon enough. ‘ ‘ ‘ So when Obama finally took the oath of office yesterday, the sense of relief and anticipation was almost palpable, even here in Pittsburgh. And our expectations for our new president are, if anything, even higher than our anticipation was. Throughout the coverage of today’s ceremonies, news anchors compared Obama to John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Lincoln. ‘ ‘ ‘ But we have to remember that Obama, despite being a symbol for hope and change in a country mired with problems, is still only one man, and we cannot expect him to solve all the problems in the country overnight. ‘ ‘ ‘ Obama’s bar has been set almost impossibly high, not only by the problems facing the country but also by his supporters. ‘ ‘ ‘ This seems to be something that people can’t quite grasp yet. Although some pundits are saying that the ‘honeymoon’ with Obama may already be over, there is still a huge population of dedicated Obama supporters smitten with his message and perhaps lending him more credit than he’s earned so far. ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s absolutely true that his presidency is historic, and nothing can take away from that fact. Obama has done significant and extraordinary things in his life, and he deserves recognition for his accomplishments. But lauding praise on him and comparing him to some of America’s most famous leaders may be a bit premature. ‘ ‘ ‘ The fact of the matter is that it’s simply too early to tell how good of a president Obama will be. The same happened to Kennedy and Lincoln, both of whom were at least somewhat unpopular during their terms in office. It took the lens of history to realize their importance and the scope of their accomplishments and giving Obama the same sort of credit before he’s done anything other than be sworn in is a bit extreme. ‘ ‘ ‘ The American public should respect Obama and be excited for him to step up as commander in chief. But there’s a difference between excitement and disillusionment, and we should be careful not to let ourselves get so swept up in the idea of Obama’s presidency that we forget to treat him with the same scrutiny that we give our other elected officials.