While we celebrate the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., media pundits who populate the cable channels are basking in the watershed event of America’s first black President taking office.   We are all witnessing a special slice of American History.   When President-elect Barack Obama raises his right hand before millions, he will have smashed the final barrier standing before African-Americans.  It is a day to celebrate, no doubt, but the honeymoon may soon give way to realities of the everyday challenges facing the new President.

First and foremost, our economic mess splattered with gushing streams of red ink.   The new President promises that he and his staff will hit the ground running with an ambitious stimulus package to create three million jobs;  but Mr. Obama himself has warned of “trillion dollar deficits for years to come.”

Next, the world stage can be a violent place to perform in the 21st century.  Mr. Obama is exploring options of drawing down U-S troops in Iraq.  He campaigned on promises to withdraw American forces on a 16 month timeline.  Future troops levels in Afghanistan could  depend on the outcome of several military reviews of the Afghanistan strategy that are under way or recently completed, including a key administration study that Bush officials expect to deliver to the Obama White House.  Then there’s the Palestinian-Israeli fight; and let’s not leave out the possibility of a nuclear Iran.

When the President-elect assumes the most powerful office in the free world, he will not only make history, but will have a chance to be a part of history in a most challenging and hostile world.