Well done, you Americans! Perhaps not quite as evil as some thought, then 8-) Yes, like Lizzie, I was up-and-down last night, early to bed (10), up 2:30 - 3:00 for a first catch-up, then again 5:00 - 5:30. And I still got up at 6:30 to go to work, having pocketed 7 hours sleep.

Penguin Egg, nobody can really answer the questions you - rightly - pose. Probably not even Obama himself, at least not with 100% certainty. I think the way to see it is that last night people voted in the potential for change. How much of it, and in precisely what direction, will depend not only on the leader, but those around him, and more importantly, on the willingness of others to follow, especially if he points towards some rougher tracks...