Responsibility for America

In his inaugural speech the new US President Barack Obama has demanded moderation of US citizens, writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Make yourself small so that others will feel big. That is Obama's leadership principle, which is what makes him very big indeed. No word sums up his style better than responsibility, by which he understands 'duty'. Responsibility, the key term in Obama's mental universe, stands for an attitude of servitude, a classic virtue free from the pall of arrogance or megalomania. With the word responsibility Obama's summarises Kennedy's famous phrase, also spoken at his inaugural address: Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. With this call for responsibility Obama returns the burden of his office to the voters, and gives American politics a new direction. This change of direction is the new president's most dramatic message."

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