Brutal realities may dim Obama's fire

"And then we will see Obama start to sweat. Because the public is impatient. People want to see America change right now, this very instant. They want to see how poverty shrinks, the homeless get housing, the blacks and Hispanics become middle-class, the losses on Wall Street are erased, the strangulating mortgages disappear, the lay-offs stop and recession turns into growth.

"But these are miracles that even the super-charismatic Obama cannot perform. Oratory, however brilliant, will not suffice. A very frustrating era thus lies ahead, as the American idol of today becomes tomorrow's punching bag."