"And yet, with the simultaneous transition of Obama's ascent to the White House and the national economy's descent into long-term decline, countervailing pressures are pushing those two factors in contradictory directions. Abroad, American political leadership has never been so popular or so impotent. At home, Americans have never felt so excited about what their country might become or so apprehensive about where it might be heading. The next few months are shaping up to be truly Dickensian: the best of times, and the worst of times.

"On the one hand, almost three weeks after the election, Obama still peers out from posters and badges. The warm glow of his victory still radiates and few seem keen to snuff out the flame. On the subway in New York last weekend an African-American woman in her 50s asked me what I thought of "our new president". We talked politics until my stop, exchanged a handshake and a hug. I dare say I'll never see her again.

"The disappointing composition of his transition team (if he was going to appoint half the Clinton cabinet, why not just let Hillary have the nomination?) has done nothing to blunt the enthusiasm. Two months before he takes office Obama enjoys a 61% approval rating. If the rest of the world were polled, it would be even higher. As his triumph was announced, public celebrations erupted in almost every time zone. It is difficult to think of a moment when there has been more global goodwill towards an American leader, let alone such a dramatic reversal of attitude towards US leadership.

"On the other hand, it is difficult to think of a moment when Americans felt more depressed about the state of their country or were less able to enforce their will on the world. Just one in six believe that the country is heading in the right direction, and consumer confidence is at a historic low. A country wedded to the notion that every year will be better than the last, and every generation more prosperous, has seen social mobility stall and the past look more promising than the future. Meanwhile, thanks to Iraq and Afghanistan, the nation's military is hopelessly overstretched and its reputation for invincibility lies shattered. Diplomatically, it is out of moral capital. Economically, it is out of plain old capital.

"While these two trends coincide, they are not moving in lockstep. The presidential transition is hostage to a definite time period - Obama will not take the oath for another 57 days. Meanwhile, the scale and pace of the economic decline is indefinite. Less than two months ago, Citigroup was one vulture swooping in to feed from the carcass of the failed Wachovia bank. With its shares now in freefall and its chief executive in peril, Citigroup now looks set to become carrion itself. Obama wants to try and save the big three car manufacturers; it remains to be seen how many will be left by his inauguration.

"So Obama's win may have been a lesson for the rest of the world, as claimed by the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. "Electing a black president says around the world that you can overcome old wounds," she told the New York Times last weekend. "I've said in our case, we have a birth defect, but it can be overcome."

"The trouble is the rest of the world no longer needs to attend the lectures. "Owing to the relative decline of its economic and, to a lesser extent, military power, the US will no longer have the same flexibility in choosing among as many policy options," concluded the National Intelligence Council (which coordinates analysis from all US intelligence agencies) last week. The report acknowledged that, while the US would remain the single most powerful force in the world, its relative strength and potential leverage are in decline.

"It doesn't take a genius to work this out. Which is just as well, since there are clearly few geniuses in the NIC. Its last forecast, in December 2004, predicted "continued US dominance", and oil and gas supplies "sufficient to meet global demand".

It truly is a Dickensian best and absolutely worst of times.