Great presidents born of bad times

"If greatness is bestowed upon our presidents by the seriousness of the problems they face, then the coming months are likely to produce Mount Rushmore-like moments," writes Rick Barton, co-director of the Ploughshares-funded Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "With the world’s climate heating, its financial system freezing, two wars, expanding markets in nuclear weapons and nonstate terrorism, and a general loss of confidence in our government to make wise choices and deliver on them, the coming transition is fraught with opportunities. What is the best way to deal with this cluster of problems, bring forward desired change and maintain a reassuring continuity? The great challenge of the transition and beyond is to capture the energy of a vast majority of Americans and convert it into a problem-solving force. President-elect Barack Obama must immediately build on the pent-up demand for change and deal with the fear of the unknown in three ways."