Lexington: Leading the lawmakers

Until he becomes unpopular, Barack Obama will get most of what he wants from Congress “CHANGE begins at home,” say the billboards in Washington, DC. They are adverts for IKEA, a discount furniture store, urging people to spruce up their apartments with new sofas. But they also describe Barack Obama’s agenda. The president-elect was chosen to stop wasting blood and treasure on foreign wars and start fixing what’s broken at home. As the flames in Gaza attest, the rest of the world is hard to ignore. Nonetheless, Mr Obama started work in the capital this week with a hugely ambitious domestic programme. He wants to rescue the economy from free fall, extend health care to nearly everyone and re-engineer the way Americans produce and consume energy. This package will be somewhat costlier and harder to assemble than an IKEA bookshelf, and he cannot hope to accomplish it alone. As Obamamania grips the planet, it is easy to forget that power in America is divided. The president ... (link)