Ultimately, the economy depends on infrastructural foundations on which it may be rebuilt. Without them, most bets are off for an American economic resurgence. The fringe benefit of doing the absolutely necessary is that the spending will save and create jobs, invest in the neglected domestic arena, attract business, and keep the US competitive with big-surplus nations. This is a traditional democratic move that will help renew a Republican effort as old as the Eisenhower Administration as to highways and energy.

Bulverism.

Entities and persons angry with the United States are already plumbing the shadows cast by President-elect Barack Obama's strengths to find weaknesses in relief. In doing so they also want to deepen America's shadows. Opponent regimes and non-state terrorist groups have sent some subtle and not so subtle signals that they will try to use Obama for their own purposes.

We heard al-Qaeda's number two try to divide African Americans by referring to Obama, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice as "house Negroes." They also argued that Obama is a stooge of Israel for pledging to continue supporting Israel. Some domestic hate groups have also sought to use Obama's election as an occasion for segregating America with violence.

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