Obama

[Soldier4Christ]

Will Supreme Court have say in presidency?
Schedule includes campaign response to questions on Obama birthplace

U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter has rejected an emergency appeal for the court to halt the tabulation of the 2008 presidential election results until Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama documents his eligibility to run for the office, according to an attorney who brought the action that challenges the Illinois senator's standing in the race.

However, the issue isn't going away, at least for now, since Souter set a schedule for a response from Obama to the challenge from attorney Philip J. Berg.

As WND reported, Berg brought his claims to the Supreme Court after a federal judge dismissed his lawsuit alleging Obama is ineligible to be president because he possibly was born in Kenya.

The judge concluded Berg lacks standing to bring the action.

The 34-page memorandum that accompanied the court order from Judge R. Barclay Surrick said ordinary citizens can't sue to ensure that a presidential candidate actually meets the constitutional requirements of the office.

Instead, Surrick said Congress could determine "that citizens, voters, or party members should police the Constitution's eligibility requirements for the Presidency," but that it would take new laws to grant individual citizens that ability.

"Until that time," Surrick says, "voters do not have standing to bring the sort of challenge that Plaintiff attempts to bring."

In a statement today, Berg said he was told by a clerk for Souter that his application for an injunction to stay the election was denied. But he also said the defendants "are required to respond to the Writ of Certiorari" by Dec. 1.

The questions over Obama's eligibility first got traction among Internet bloggers and later were heightened when several campaigns were launched to determine whether a "certificate of live birth" posted on the Internet by the Obama campaign was valid.

The issue gained more attention when Berg told radio talk show host Michael Savage he had an admission from Obama's grandmather that she was at his birth – in Kenya.

"This is a question of who has standing to stand up for our Constitution," Berg told Jeff Schreiber of America's Right blog. "If I don't have standing, if you don't have standing, if your neighbor doesn't have standing to ask whether or not the likely next president of the United States – the most powerful man in the entire world – is eligible to be in that office in the first place, then who does?"

WND senior investigative reporter Jerome Corsi traveled both to Kenya and Hawaii to investigate issues surrounding Obama's birth.

But his discoveries only raised more questions.

The biggest question is why Obama, if a Hawaii birth certificate exists, simply hasn't ordered it made available to settle the rumors.

The governor's office in Hawaii said he had a valid certificate but rejected requests for access and left ambiguous its origin. Does the certificate on file with the Department of Health indicate a Hawaii birth or was it generated after the Obama family registered a Kenyan birth in Hawaii.

Obama's half-sister, Maya Soetoro, has named two different Hawaii hospitals where Obama could have been born.

But a video posted on YouTube features Obama's Kenyan grandmother Sarah claiming to have witnessed  Obama's birth in Kenya.

As WND reported, Berg filed suit in U.S. District Court
in August, alleging Obama is not a natural-born citizen and is thus ineligible to serve as president of the United States. Berg demanded that Obama provide documentation to the court to verify that the candidate was born in Hawaii, as Obama contends, and not in Kenya, as Berg believes.

[Soldier4Christ]

The New Battle: A Convening of Conservative Warriors

by Maggie Thornton

Today begins the new battle for Conservatism. There is only one place to start and that is with Republicans in Congress.

Let us not think back on the past weaknesses of our Conservative leaders. Now is the time to demand boldness from them.

Let us encourage the Republican wing of Congress to get to the microphones, write editorials, send emails, seek out Conservative radio, and take on the subtle issues that are designed to move Conservatism off the map.

Let us know that while the Conservative voice is not strong enough to make “all the difference,” it is strong enough to make “some difference.”

Let us get to know the Committees of Congress, identify the Conservative members and stay in contact with them. Let us know the Bills coming to Committee, have a feel for their dispensation and make our arguments directly to the Conservative Committee members. Let us never allow our Senators and Representatives to bow to the Majority without putting up a loud fight - strongly making the Conservative case. Even when we lose - let them hear from us.

Let us know all we can about the United Nations. Let us note every word uttered about the U.N., by our President and our U.N. Ambassador. Blog about it. Watch it. Blog about it even more.

Let us be informed about Senator Obama’s Global Poverty Bill (s.2433). Let us get to know that Bill intimately. Let us determine how tying the U.N.’s Millennium Goals to that Bill can be imposed on America. Let us have conversations with our Conservative Congressmen about s.2433.

Let us renew the cry for Drill Here, Drill Now. This issue has not been defeated with an Obama-Biden win, but there is no doubt the struggle will be long and hard. Let us not make the battle easy for Liberals.

Let us demand that all those executives complicit in the bailout be known and punished. This must not fade away, lost in the helpless feeling that we can do nothing. We need a battle cry.

Let us not throw up our hands and wait for the next election. Our Senators and Representatives receive a paycheck from us, and it has not been money well spent. Let us make them work for their pay, and in doing so, let us help them strengthen their voice in the hallowed halls of our Capitol.

Let us not just lie down and take it. Let us offer daily support against Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi. Let us be in IM mode.

Finally, let us continue to seek answers to the questions we’ve been asking about Senator Obama’s background. There will be a groundswell now to put all that behind us and move forward. If there is nothing worthy to be disputed, I’ll accept that, but not until I know.

As I write this, Fox News has a clip of last night’s rally for Obama in Grant Park. In the center of the screen is the red flag of Communism - the hammer and sickle flag is physically being held up for the camera.

_____________

I add to this article that we need to also be on our knees daily praying for all of our nations leaders, that God opens their eyes and their hearts turn to Him.

[Barbara]

Yes, we saw that hammer and sickle too. It was disgusting and a sickening sight and something we still can't believe we're seeing! We saw it again  when some student's were celebrating in front of the White House. What is happening to the youth of America? Are they so brain washed by their college professors that they don't even know right from wrong? Do they not know history? Are they so disconnected from the Word of God?

And what is happening in our churches? So many are 'entertainment centers'. Are 'so called' Christians so ignorant of the Word that for a $500 check they'll turn their eyes away from the holocaust that's happening in the abortion centers accross what used to be a Christian country?

There's a saying, "History is written by the people that killed the heroes"; I think that is where this country and it's people are today. I don't believe they even understand what they're doing, just as Jesus said on the cross, because they won't read God's Holy Word and because they love their sin.

It's a sad day.

[Soldier4Christ]

It's not just the youth of today even though they are the ones that we see the most in videos. There are many adults that are doing the same thing, giving up on their principles because of skin color or a loose, undefined promise of money and a facade of peace and freedom.

[Soldier4Christ]

Hamas praises Obama win
as 'historic victory for world'
Terror group drafting letter of congrats
to be sent directly to president-elect

The Hamas terrorist group believes the election of Sen. Barack Obama is an "historic victory" for the world and an opportunity to change U.S. foreign policy toward engagement with America's foes, Ahmed Yousef, Hamas' chief political adviser in the Gaza Strip, told WND in an exclusive interview today.

Yousef, speaking by cell phone from Gaza, said Hamas is drafting a letter of congratulation to be sent tomorrow directly to Obama. He said the current draft of the letter praises the president-elect as "another John F. Kennedy, or great Roosevelt."

"We want to be one of the first to congratulate him," Yousef said.

"This is an historic day, a turning point. I think this is the very first time in history that one country's election concerned everyone everywhere all over [the] world," said Yousef. "Everybody is looking forward to Obama's change, for a change in the U.S. policy, particularly in the Israeli-Palestinian equation, which is the mother of all conflicts."

Yousef told WND he believes an Obama administration will be more willing to engage in dialogue with Hamas.

He said Obama's job will be to "restore America's dignity in the world and put an end to the wars in the region."

Yousef took the occasion to blast the policies of President Bush, commenting he hopes "that after January the Bush administration will not be heard from again."

"We are sick of wars and conflict," the Hamas official said.

Yousef seemed aware his comments and Hamas' expected letter to Obama may generate some negative publicity for Obama, but he said he feels it important to "reach out and to express our thoughts and engage."

"I praised him six months ago, some people tried to use that against him. But I knew he would win. Like everyone else, we expected this important victory," he said.

Yousef was referring to an interview he gave to WND and WABC Radio in April in which he praised Obama and then found his comments had fueled a firestorm of accusations in the presidential campaign.

In April, Yousef stated he hoped Obama would become president and compared the Illinois senator to President John F. Kennedy.

"We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the election," Yousef told WND at the time.

"I hope Mr. Obama and the Democrats will change the political discourse. ... I do believe [Obama] is like John Kennedy, a great man with a great principle. And he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community, but not with humiliation and arrogance," Yousef said.

Sen. John McCain repeatedly used Yousef's remarks to criticize Obama's foreign policy.

Obama has condemned Hamas as a terrorist group that should be isolated until it recognizes Israel. He claimed McCain was using the Hamas comments as a "smear."

Hamas is responsible for scores of suicide bombings, rocket attacks, shootings and cross-border raids. Its official charter calls for the murder of Jews and destruction of Israel. Just today, Hamas members took responsibility for launching dozens of rockets from Gaza aimed at Jewish civilian population centers.

[HisDaughter]

Yes, we saw that hammer and sickle too. It was disgusting and a sickening sight and something we still can't believe we're seeing! We saw it again  when some student's were celebrating in front of the White House.

I didn't see this but why am I not surprised?  As far as what children learn in schools these days; it scares me to death for my grandson.

[HisDaughter]

Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election
1.   The Bible will still have all the answers.
2.   Prayer will still work.
3.   The Holy Spirit will still move.
4.   God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5.   There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6.   There will still be singing of praise to God.
7.   God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8.   There will still be room at the Cross.
9.   Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.
and God approves this message!
ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE

Amen

[Soldier4Christ]

Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election
1.   The Bible will still have all the answers.
2.   Prayer will still work.
3.   The Holy Spirit will still move.
4.   God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5.   There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6.   There will still be singing of praise to God.
7.   God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8.   There will still be room at the Cross.
9.   Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.
and God approves this message!
ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE

Amen

Some of these may not be the case if Jesus returns before Obama takes office. 

[Shammu]

One of the things last night I saw was............ Alot of Obama's gestures were like some of the gestures Hitler used, when he took office in Germany. Obama was very smooth, and calming, the way he talked, again similar to that of Hitler.

Right at the moment I'm wondering, is if Obama is going to make Christians register, the way Hitler did the Jewish people..........

But, I also have to say this..................

God is in control and His will has prevailed. When His word tells me tha,t He is responsible for the governing authorities that come to pass on the Earth, I take Him at His word and I have no problem with what He does. Sometimes God says yes and sometimes no but, He's always right and perfect. We have to trust in Him and not in our own understanding.

In the end, all things work together for the good of those that love Him. 

[Soldier4Christ]

Advice to Christians: Defend life, prepare for persecution

With the prospect of a liberal Democratic leadership taking hold on Capitol Hill, two evangelical leaders are counseling fellow believers to stand firm in defense of Christian liberties and freedoms against the possibility of radicals in Congress overreaching their power.

Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, says after the devastating defeat at the hands of the liberals, pro-family Christians must be prepared to make solid arguments as they look to the future.

"They need to point out the mistakes that [President-elect Barack] Obama makes when it comes to overreaching," Land urges. "I think he'll be pressed hard to overreach by the radicals in the Democratic House and Senate."

The Southern Baptist leader has additional advice for his fellow Christians. "I think that we need to stay consistent with our message of family values and the sanctity of human life -- and we need to find attractive and articulate candidates who will go out and make those cases," he says.
 
According to Land, a number of social conservatives could emerge as the new leader of the pro-family movement. "I think there are several contestants for it," he states. "Sarah Palin is certainly going to be a prominent one. Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Mitch McConnell -- who just won re-election [in Kentucky] -- [and] Bobby Jindal from Louisiana."
 
Persecution on the horizon?
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, believes Senator Obama was elected, in large part, because the church in America has failed to address sin in its own ranks and also in society.
 
Perkins says Christians should pray for and return to a biblical model of holiness and righteousness. And believers in America, he adds, should prepare for persecution.
 
Tony Perkins"We are going to see, I think, unprecedented attacks against our faith through measures like the hate crimes [legislation] to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act," he says. "We're going to see attacks on innocent human life through the Freedom of Choice Act, trying to erase all the gains that have been made in the pro-life movement. And I think even our freedoms are going to come under attack."
 
Obama stated during the presidential campaign that one of his top priorities upon taking office would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. Perkins says Christians will have to be resolute in defense of what they know to be right.
 
"[W]e're going to have to stand together, and stand in defense of these truths, and be bold about that stance," he counsels.
 
Perkins says many churches are afraid of offending people, and don't challenge members to live out their faith in the public square.

[nChrist]

AMEN AND AMEN!

This applies to many things said in the last several posts. My first thoughts matched those of Pastor Roger.

I add to this article that we need to also be on our knees daily praying for all of our nations leaders, that God opens their eyes and their hearts turn to Him.

This is a time for prayer, but it's also a time to definitely KEEP LOOKING UP! We already know what happens TO US AND FOR US by JESUS CHRIST Himself!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Isaiah 54:13 NASB  "All your sons will be taught of the LORD; And the well-being of your sons will be great.

[Soldier4Christ]

'Obama, thy kingdom come'
President-elect's headquarters declare, 'To God be the glory' for victory

Obama's campaign headquarters in Lake City, Fla., has posted a victory sign in its window stating, "To God be the glory. Great things he has done. Obama, thy kingdom come, thy will be done."

The sign, prominently posted in the front window, is visible from the street. As WND reported earlier, Obama's supporters have frequently referred to him as the "Messiah."

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, a powerful Chicago-based political figure associated with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and other long-time associates of Obama, proclaimed to a large crowd, "You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn't care anything about. That's a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking."

"Brothers and sisters," Farrakhan said, "Barack Obama to me, is a herald of the Messiah. Barack Obama is like the trumpet that alerts you something new, something better is on the way."

WND also previously reported a website called " Is Barack Obama the Messiah?" captured the wave of euphoria that followed the Democratic senator's remarkable rise.

The site is topped by an Obama quote strategically ripped from a Jan. 7 speech at Dartmouth College just before the New Hampshire Primary in which he told students, "… a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany, and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama."

WND also revealed talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh criticized Democrats who were comparing Obama to Jesus and Gov. Sarah Palin to Pontius Pilate.

"I know Jesus Christ. I pray to Jesus Christ all the time," said Limbaugh." I study what Jesus Christ did and said all the time, and let me tell you something, Barack Obama, you are no Jesus Christ."

[Soldier4Christ]

Obama to appoint talk radio's executioner?
Expected FCC transition chief served during 'Fairness Doctrine' days

Democrat Henry Rivera, a former commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, is expected to head President-elect Barack Obama's FCC transition team, a move that has sparked fear in media circles that the Fairness Doctrine may return to silence conservative talk radio.

If reenacted, the "Fairness Doctrine" would require broadcasts over the public airwaves to give equal time to opposing political views. For talk radio, which boomed after the law's repeal in 1987 by building an audience devoted to conservative talk, the law's return would decimate the industry's marketability.

Many fear the "Fairness Doctrine" would drive talk radio hosts – like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage – out of business.

Brian Maloney of the blog The Radio Equalizer said in his post, "Meet Talk's Executioner,"  he believes Rivera will use his position to bring back the law for that very purpose.

Rivera, according to Maloney, "is expected to lead the push to dismantle commercial talk radio that is favored by a number of Democratic Party senators. Rivera will play a pivotal role in preventing critics from having a public voice during Obama's tenure in office."

Rivera served on the five-member FCC from 1981 to 1985 under Republican chairman Mark Fowler. He is now a partner at the Wiley Rein law firm, the same firm current FCC chairman Kevin Martin worked at prior to his appointment to the FCC.

Rivera resigned from the FCC in 1985. The remainder of his term was served by President Reagan appointee Patricia Diaz Dennis, who opposed the Fairness Doctrine. The law was then repealed in 1987 after the FCC admitted it "had the net effect of reducing rather than enhancing the discussion of controversial issues of public importance."

Rivera himself has not confirmed his selection as Obama's FCC transition team chief, first reported by Multichannel News.

"The only thing I can tell you is that there will be a release of the folks involved in that," Rivera told the News. "I just can't comment on anything. They told us not to talk to the press."

Rivera also declined to answer WND's request for his position on reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.

Obama's position on the law also remains unclear.

"Sen. Obama does not support reimposing the Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters," campaign press secretary Michael Ortiz told Broadcasting & Cable earlier this year. "He considers this debate to be a distraction from the conversation we should be having about opening up the airwaves and modern communications to as many diverse viewpoints as possible."

As WND reported, ATI-News President Brad O'Leary examined Obama's legal and organizational attempts to silence media detractors during the presidential race and came to a different conclusion.

"Barack Obama has shown a stunning lack of tolerance for free speech throughout the course of this campaign," said O'Leary. "His presidency, combined with supermajorities for Democrats in Congress, would almost certainly bring back the so-called 'Fairness Doctrine' and allow the Democrats to snuff out any broadcasters with whom they disagree."

Democrats in Congress have been more definitive in advocating the "Fairness Doctrine."

In June, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., affirmed her support to Human Events reporter John Gizzi.

Speaking on Albuquerque station KKOB, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., told host Jim Villanucci, "I would want this station and all stations to have to present a balanced perspective and different points of view, instead of always hammering away at one side of the political [spectrum]."

Bingaman said, "For many, many years, we operated under a Fairness Doctrine in this country. I think the country was well-served. I think the public discussion was at a higher level and more intelligent in those days than it has become since."

Rush Limbaugh, the most-listened to radio host in American history, however, blasted Bingaman's comment that there were "a lot of talk stations" before 1987.

"A 125 radio stations talking about carrot cake recipes for the holidays," Limbaugh said. "Senator Bingaman, do you know how many talk-radio stations there are in America today? Try over 2,000 since the Fairness Doctrine was lifted, and on those 2,000 radio stations are countless points of view, from the extreme communist left to the wacko whatever it is way out on the fringe right. They're all over the place."

Republican Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana has opposed to the Fairness Doctrine by introducing the Broadcasters Freedom Act, arguing that lifting the restrictive law has "opened the public airwaves to free and vigorous discussion of controversial issues by individuals of all political stripes."

"Bringing back the Fairness Doctrine would amount to government control over political views expressed on the public airwaves," Pence said. "It is a dangerous proposal to suggest the government should be in the business of rationing free speech."

Pence, a former broadcaster, said his Broadcasters Freedom Act would ensure that "true freedom and fairness will remain on our radio airwaves."

[Soldier4Christ]

McCain T-shirt gets man cuffed, stuffed
'Don't tell him no more, lock him up,' police say

A man wearing a McCain-Palin T-shirt during a Philadelphia celebration on election night was arrested, cuffed and stuffed into a police cruiser, and supporters said it was for no more than wearing the endorsement of the GOP nominees for president and vice-president.

Although the man protested that he didn't want to cause any trouble, officers manhandled him and arrested him, the video posted on YouTube shows.

Philadelphia Police Sgt. Ray Evers told WND the man, whose name was not released, was arrested for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

"He was causing large crowds to form around him," Evers said, adding that he also "was not listening to police commands."

"He was asked several times to leave the area," the sergeant said. "He refused several commands from police to leave the area."

The tape opens explaining that the man was wearing a McCain T-shirt at a street celebration in honor of president-elect Barack Obama's election victory.

The audio says police told the man to leave the area and he declined. At that point, the video picks up.

Officers are holding the man's chest as he says, "I'm not trying to cause any trouble."

The officers then shove the man as the Obama crowd jeers.

"You know what. Don't tell him no more. Don't tell him no more. Just lock him up," an officer states.

While the man is standing off to the side of the celebration, two officers grab him and shake him up, twist his arm behind his back and cuff him.

The crown circles the man, chanting, "Oh-Bah-Mah! Oh-Bah-Mah!"

"This man was arrested for going into a crowd of Obama supporters post-election wearing a John McCain-Sarah Palin T-shirt," the audio explains. "The officers asked him to leave, he refused … then he was assaulted by officers. Now he's being put into a patrol car.

"This is what we can expect, no freedom of speech," the narrator adds.

WND has reported on law enforcement crackdowns on opponents of Obama, including a Kansas case in which a man wrote to a woman he met at his church about his opposition and within 15 minutes found police on his doorstep.

WND also reported when prosecutors in Missouri announced plans to crack down on any campaign ads they viewed as wrong about Obama. The prosecutors claimed someone had to set the record straight and they were going to do it.

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt responded by characterizing the public officials' formation of Obama "truth squads" as nothing short of "police state tactics."

"St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch, St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer, and Obama and the leader of his Missouri campaign Senator Claire McCaskill have attached the stench of police state tactics to the Obama-Biden campaign," said Blunt. "What Senator Obama and his helpers are doing is scandalous beyond words, the party that claims to be the party of Thomas Jefferson is abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment."

A crackdown on free speech has been forecast by some for the upcoming Obama administration, fueled by Democrats stated desire to re-adopt the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" that would effectively restrict or eliminate opinion on the broadcast airwaves from radio talk icons like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

And a hypothetical letter from a "Christian from 2012" released by evangelical leader James Dobson's political activist group Focus on the Family Action warns of an attack on public free speech.

The letter, called "Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America," "looks back" on how "the Bible can no longer be freely preached over radio or television stations when the subject matter includes such 'offensive' doctrines as criticizing homosexual behavior. The Supreme Court agreed that these could be kept off the air as prohibited 'hate speech' that is likely to incite violence and discrimination."

[HisDaughter]

President of the World? 
foxnews.com/2008/11/06/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barack Obama's election on Tuesday set off international celebrations and ignited a fervor for the United States that has been unseen since the days immediately following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

To some observers, the international reaction has elevated America's president-elect to an unparalleled post: president of the world.

In Kenya, where Obama's father was born, a national holiday was declared on Thursday. In Indonesia, children danced at the school Obama attended when he was a young boy, embracing him as much for what he represents abroad as for the policies he advocates at home.

"People from all over Africa, especially in Kenya, where this is a holiday, are feeling that the most powerful person in the world does not have to be a white guy. That's a huge breakthrough for the United States and for humanity," said Walter Russell Mead, the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten," Rama Yade, France's junior minister for human rights, told French radio. "On this morning, we all want to be American, so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes."

America's popularity abroad waned dramatically during the Bush administration, and some voters expressed hopes that in electing Obama, they could restore the country's image. The wave of good feelings since Tuesday night suggests that even before taking office, Obama has made substantial inroads.

"This may be the beginning of a new world. It marks the end of old elites and opens the door for new approaches worldwide," an Israeli man in his mid-50s said in Tel Aviv.

Foreign observers, who paid rapt attention during the long election season, are taking a personal stake in the outcome of a vote a world away. Expectations are high for the 47-year-old Obama, who will take over on January 20 amid a financial collapse and who will preside over two wars on his first day in office.

"The standing of everybody in the world is going to be affected by what President Obama does or doesn't do," said Mead, noting that all eyes will be looking to the new president for a way out of the global financial crisis.

In the Muslim world, the response has been mixed. A journalist with a pan-Arab news channel told FOX News that on election night, workers were going around the newsroom congratulating each other, as if Obama were their president-elect.

Iraqis have expressed skepticism that any rapid changes will come as a result of the election, but many see their fates ineluctably tied to Obama's foreign policy. "By God, the new American President Obama has promised to pull the troops out. This is in the best interest of the Iraqi people," said one Baghdadi.

Arab heads of state have been more circumspect, waiting to see whether Obama's Mideast policy will depart significantly from that of the Bush administration, and some newspapers in the Arab world have openly announced their distrust of the president-elect.

"There is no significant difference between Obama and McCain. They disagree only on the means to achieve America's chief goal, which is to rule for another hundred years," said an editorial in the Saudi daily Al-Watan, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors the Arab press.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama Thursday for his win -- the first time an Iranian leader has welcomed an incoming president since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. And some Iranians, speaking to FOX News, said they were excited by the prospect of the coming administration.

"I want to congratulate you on Barack Obama's victory that really turned a new chapter in the world's history -- that an African-American man, decent and intelligent, became president of the world," one Iranian said.

"This was done in America. Your nation has the credit for it."

Not all observers expect this world embrace to be long-lasting. "I think overseas, as at home, opinion over the longer term will depend on what he actually does," said John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Obama was issued an early challenge Wednesday, as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the deployment of short-range missiles near his country's border with Poland.

"Those who have issues with us are certainly not giving him a honeymoon," Bolton said of Russia's action, which may have been intended to send a cold word of welcome to Obama and to test his resolve.

Russian citizens, too, have been wary in their evaluation of the next president.

"I don't think he can really become the world political leader," said Tatyana Solomonova, a real estate agent in Moscow. "The fact that he's black can be an obstacle -- there's still a lot of racism in the world, in Europe and Russia too. I think he can take a leading role in the Western hemisphere, but not in this part of the world."

In Moscow Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has a history of controversial remarks, was asked by a reporter about the prospect for U.S.-Russian relations after Berlusconi met with Medvedev.

Berlusconi responded by saying that the relative youth of Medvedev, 43, and Obama should make it easier for Moscow and Washington to work together.

Then he said, smiling: "I told the president that [Obama] has everything needed in order to reach deals with him: he's young, handsome and even tanned."

Italian news agencies said Berlusconi later defended his remark, calling the statement "a great compliment."

"Why are they taking it as something negative? ... If they have the vice of not having a sense of humor, worse for them," the ANSA news agency quoted him as saying.

But Italy's only black lawmaker, Jean-Leonard Touadi, called the comment embarrassing.

"In the United States, a joke like that wouldn't just be politically incorrect, but a great offense to this amazing example of integration, which it seems the Italian premier should take as an example," Touadi said.

For good or ill, all eyes are now on Obama.

"Not everybody is going to get what they want, but this is a moment of hope," said Mead, who added that Obama was sure to fall short of some expectations.

"If you look at Jesus Christ, he walked on water and fed the 5,000 and he ended up getting crucified, so I think it's not unlikely that President-elect Obama is gonna disappoint some people also."