When the decision came out and words were spread around, it was not a surprise for me to see the United States president-elect Barack Obama named as the TIME’s Person of the Year 2008. It is obvious that Obama was on top of the list from the very beginning.

For all his record-breaking achievement and breath-taking moments in the election, it is the notion that he inspired the world and raised hope to millions of people with his infamous campaign theme of ‘CHANGE’ that he deserves all these praises. Now as the inauguration day comes near, the question remains on how well can Obama fulfill the high expectation that the world has for him. With all the mess the Bush left for him, Obama will have to work really hard to clean it up.

One thing beside economy that has been in the spotlight since Obama elected as the next US president is his foreign policy credential. In the campaign trail, his foreign policy inexperience had been a major argument for his opponent to discredit his nomination. In a time where the world is in its crossroad, having a president with little foreign policy experience is somehow unacceptable.

Sure he gets all the luxuries of being a president in the mightiest  most troubled country on earth. The protection, the flying hotel/war room Air Force One, the White House, the media, the football bag and nuclear launch code strapped on it. It seems like the world is in his hand. But here is one thing for sure: the next four years for Obama is going to be a lot harder than the rough campaign he had.

The moment Obama is sworn in, he will officially become the man with the most difficult job to do on earth: fixing the unraveling economy, sorting out mounting debts his country has, containing the unemployment problems, figuring out the unfinished war in some of the world’s hottest zone, fixing the damaged reputation of his country in the last eight years, and not to mention the recent outbreak of violence in Middle East as US closest ally, the Israelis, bombard the Palestinians Gaza Strip.

As Friedman put it: It’s time to reboot America.

With that kind of challenges, can Obama fulfill the expectation?