In a time of crisis, a look at America's Best Leaders.
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David Gergen on Obama
Editor at Large David Gergen, a White House adviser to four presidents, on the challenges ahead.
The Supreme Court
Seated in the front row, from left to right are: Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, and Associate Justice David Souter. Standing, from left to right, in the top row, are: Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Associate Justice Samuel Alito Jr. Alito took his seat on the court Feb. 21, 2006 replacing Sandra Day O'Connor. Justice Stevens, nominated by President Gerald Ford, is now the longest serving member of the current court; he took his seat in December 1975.
Obama Win Crushes GOP's Supreme Court Hopes
New liberal nominees likely to replace aging liberals on the high court.
The New Administration
An Obama supporter holds a "Yes We Did" sign.
Can Obama Truly Deliver?
He must lead through two wars and a faltering economy.
GAY RIGHTS
Supporters of same-sex marriage pass through the edge of Chinatown as they march between predominantly Latino neighborhoods to over-turn Proposition 8 in Los Angeles, California.
Same-Sex Marriage Likely Headed to Courts in California
Jerry Brown, the state attorney general, filed a brief saying the matter merited the court's attention.
ECONOMY
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other members of the House Democratic leadership address the media following the failure of the $700 billion bailout measure.
Congress Mulls New Stimulus Package
Bernanke's endorsement makes plan more likely to move forward, perhaps as soon as mid-November.
OIL
Washingtonians pumping gasoline costing over $4 a gallon.
A Push to Boost the Amount of Ethanol in Gas
Proponents contend higher levels could displace foreign oil, but car makers fret about engine damage.
ENVIRONMENT
Canada's heaviest icebreaker, the Louis St.-Laurent, passes through Baffin Bay, north of the Arctic Circle.
Warming Sparks Race for the Arctic
As the ice melts, national rivalries heat up over oil and gas deposits and shipping routes.
HISTORY
Queen Elizabeth I.
England's Queen Elizabeth I, 450 Years Later
Elizabeth I ushered in England's Elizabethan age.
TERRORISM
A member of an elite Indonesian antiterrorism unit leads a hooded suspect off a plane.
Lessons From an al Qaeda Affiliate's Undoing
Jemaah Islamiyah, "al Qaeda's Southeast Asian wing," is a shadow of its former self.
RELIGION
A rural Church in Autumn in Windham, Vermont.
Public Says Churches Should Stay Out of Politics
Some believe religious institutions should not speak out out on political issues.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Eliot Cohen.
U.S. Diplomat: America's Power Not in Decline
Once an administration critic, the State Department's Eliot Cohen says U.S. stature is not at risk.
GAS PRICES
The Katahdin Paper Company's Millinocket (Maine) Mill.
Death Watch in a Mill Town
High oil prices may be the final blow for a legendary paper plant.
FOOD PRICES
The price label of a grass fed black angus steak is photographed at the Grazin' Angus Acres farm stand at the Union Square Farmers Market Friday, June 13, 2008 in New York. The Labor Department reported Friday that consumer prices rose by 0.6 percent last month, the biggest one-month increase since last November, as gasoline costs surged by 5.7 percent. Food prices, which have also been rising sharply, were up 0.3 percent as the cost of beef and bakery products showed big gains.
Tough Times for the Beef Industry
Beef prices are likely to increase as rising food and fuel prices threaten many cattle ranches.
AGRICULTURE
Indian farmers harvest wheat in a field near the village of Bathinda, some 100kms south east of Amritsar.
Toxic Effects of Green Revolution
Indian farmers find that benefits of chemicals may come at a high cost.
GUANTANAMO BAY
A guard stands at a gate at the Camp Delta detention compound, which has housed foreign prisoners since 2002, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, June 6, 2008.
Supreme Court Ruling on Guantánamo Bay a Rebuke to Bush
The decision will mean a flood of new cases.