[yezhanquan]

The state of healthcare in the US is not shameful only if one looks at non-industrialised countries. Among the industrialised nations, the US system has little to shout about.

As I overheard on BBC Radio, "Africa is not poor. It is poorly managed." Of course, that can be said for Burma and Iraq. (Personally, I don't think Afghanistan is in that list, but I digress.)

And no, Obama cannot afford to just focus on the economy. The "perfect storm" is coming. Social Security is in trouble, and of course we have healthcare. Business as usual is not really an option. If the US doesn't start accepting painful reform, I cannot imagine how the implosion can be avoided.

Don't forget: Even a humble man like Ike cannot help but poke fun at himself with this quote. On it, even Washington himself can be said to fall in the second category. So, I do not doubt for a second that he knows what he's getting himself into.

"Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy."