TODAY’S the day most Americans and much of the world have been patiently awaiting. It’s a day filled with relief, expectation, and joy — one that is destined to be highlighted in history books as yet unwritten. The American people have not only dumped the racism that has pervaded the higher echelons of American politics since its Constitution was penned, they have chosen a man of wisdom and sincerity to lead them during these troubled times. Well...that’s the hope.

Barack Obama is the greatest example that the fabled American Dream is alive and well. Today, with great fanfare, this 44th US president will be sworn into office on the Bible that once belonged to Abraham Lincoln, whose train journey he purposefully, and rather theatrically, emulated. More than 80 percent of Americans are delighted at the shift change.

Tomorrow, he will wake up in the White House with all the cares of the world on his shoulders, literally. During his protracted campaign, he proved to be dedicated, inspirational and able to run a tight ship. He has certainly talked a good talk but whether he can truly walk the walk we have yet to find out.

It seems he is aware of his own limitations, as during the weeks preceding his inauguration, he has sought to limit the public’s expectations, warning of hard times to come.

He knows he has inherited a shambolic economy and a country with few friends due to the reviled foreign policy of his once egomaniacal, now bowed, predecessor whose neoimperialist ambitions have turned to ashes. A lesser man than Obama would find such challenges too daunting to contemplate.

Obama is still an unknown quantity. Thanks to his autobiographies we know the minutiae of his life thus far and we believe the new president, although relatively young and inexperienced, is a man of principle.

Over the past months, pundits have been analyzing his every word and gesture but I believe that no one can predict what kind of president he will be. Any clues there have been may well turn out to be red herrings devised by spin doctors and advisers to maintain his popularity at home. Once settled into the Oval Office, his first priority will be the economy. With failing banks, a collapsing auto industry, a decimated property market, high unemployment, a shattered property market and an unprecedented fiscal deficit to contend with, his task is unenviable.

Only a magician could snap his fingers to bring back the America that was before George W. Bush got his hands on it. Americans may be counting on the Obama magic to lift them out of the swamp of despair but the people of this region, merely seeking a modicum of justice, are more skeptical.

Commentators in the Middle East have prematurely cut short the Obama love fest. Many feel disappointed by his Cabinet choices, more tired old guard than sparkling new lights. Heading the State Department will be Hillary Clinton, an avowed supporter of Israel. Other familiar pro-Israel faces to join the Obama administration include Dennis Ross, Daniel Kurtzer and Martin Indyk.

We should also not forget his Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, whose 81-year-old Israeli father was formerly a member of the Irgun, a terrorist organization. When asked about his son’s affiliations, he was quoted as saying, “Obviously, he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why shouldn’t he do it? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to clean the floor of the White House”.

Obama has further been criticized here for watering down such previously stated goals as holding direct unconditional talks with Iran, immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and closing Guantanamo, which we now learn may take more than 100 days to effect.

In the case of Guantanamo, which he apparently finds abhorrent, what’s stopping him airlifting remaining detainees to a secure facility within the US before putting them through the American justice system? Those found guilty could be imprisoned like any other criminal while the innocent should be sent back to their countries. Those afraid to return home, fearing persecution or worse, could be offered asylum in Western countries responsible for their illegal incarceration.

If there is a sense of knife-edged anticipation here as to the final shaping of Obama’s Middle East policy, it is no less in Israel. It’s no accident that the Israeli government picked a pre-Obama window of opportunity to launch its onslaught on Gaza and now seeks any face-saving pretext to scurry out before Obama’s daughters get their promised puppy.

We will not have to wait long to discover whether an Obama administration can be an honest broker in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Within the coming days, America’s new commander-in-chief will be obligated to speak out on Gaza, which he has so far refrained from doing citing “there is only one president at a time”.

Will he stick to the Bush line, which is basically Israel has the right to do anything? Or will he echo what just about every other world leader is saying, including his ally Britain’s Gordon Brown, who says Israel has used excessive force during an offensive that has cost too many lives? Let’s keep an open mind. Let’s reserve judgment. And in the meantime, let’s congratulate the American people on their pick and wish Obama well in his new job. Good luck, Mr. President! You’re going to need every ounce of it you can get. Please don’t let us down!