Afghanistan actually will be more of a challenge than a lot of those other things. Restoring our image abroad is something he's already started doing before he even takes office. Iran will be easier for Obama than it has been for Bush because 1) he'll actually talk to the Iranian government, which unless you're going to invade is a prerequisite for accomplishing doodly-squat; and 2) our allies will back us up better than they have with Bush at the helm. The economic stuff will be tricky, but not impossible; we know what to do, it just requires the political will.

But Afghanistan is a knotty problem, and Obama isn't talking about pulling out, either. It will be interesting to see what he does. He is a very capable man, much more so than some of his thoughtless detractors suggest, and by no means an "empty suit." If any leader can handle the problems in Afghanistan, he can. But it remains to be seen if any leader can.