President Barack Obama will have a tougher time ahead of him than perhaps even he realizes. This difficulty will not necessarily stem from those ignorant, crazy people who sincerely believe our president is a closet Muslim terrorist, a Marxist, a black supremacist or some bizarre combination of all three, nor do these problems stem from the country he will inherit- its massive deficit, ill-planned wars, shrinking global image and ailing economy. No, the greatest challenge facing Obama...is himself.

He ran on a promise of change and hope at a time when the government seems more corrupt, inept and idiotic then anytime in recent history. He promised America the accountability the Bush Administration did their best to avoid, and the future they seemingly did their best to destroy. Sure, he has charisma, rhetorical skills and a back-story Karl Rove would have killed for- but the so-called magic of the Obama campaign is a simple by product of his telling the American people what they needed to hear, when they needed to hear it, and having the natural ability to make them listen.

Fox misses the point when it accuses him of being an 'empty suit' or a 'posturing rock star'- it is his message which resonates with people, not his clothes.

Yet the intense adoration Obama has garnered is not without its significant pitfalls as he takes the oval office. Obama does not merely have to be a better president than Bush- he needs to measure up to the standards he set for himself and deliver on his messages and promises. One needs look no further then the meteoric rise and fall of France's own celebrity-president Nicholas Sarkozy, to see what could happen to Obama if he disappoints himself.

Like Obama, Sarkozy came bearing the right message in a dark time. Economic growth in France was way under Europe's average, the unemployment rate and the national debt were higher, and public spending was out of control. When he ran, just less than two years ago, he promised hope, reform, and a bright future. As he swept into office, he declared to his legions of supporters: "The French have chosen to break with the ideas, habits and behavior of the past. I will restore the value of work, authority, merit and respect for the nation."

Perhaps more so than Obama, Sarkozy's circumstances landed him worldwide celebrity. He was listed as one of the best dressed men in the world in Vanity Fair, alongside Brad Pitt, and his romance and eventual marriage with singer and former model Carla Bruni became journalistic gold for newspapers trying to sell copies, and a source of national pride. She actually wrote a song about him comparing their love to cocaine.

So why then, less than two years later, is Sarkozy polling as the least popular president in recent French history?

Running on a platform of radical change is a tricky thing- on one hand, it's extremely compelling for those who feel the current situation needs radical change. It's inspiring in the way that promising limited change, or some change, or no change at all, just isn't. On the other hand, it sets you to a different standard among your followers- you have to deliver the change you promised to be successful, not merely make a few political adjustments and keep from the country from imploding.

Sarkozy did not deliver. In the course of a year and a half, his popularity, and his fan base, have all but vanished. His economic reforms have been few, and difficult. His relationship with Bruni is now seen as a distraction to his presidency, not a sign of macho virility, and while his presidency has hardly been a failure, it has achieved remarkably little for the man who declared a year was all he needed to bring France into the modern age.

France is not America, and Obama is not Sarkozy. Their politics, and problems they face, are very different. But Sarkozy serves as a perfect reminder as to what happens when you hold yourself to standards you cannot, or will not, live up to. Pundits often talk about the love Obama supporters have for their president. These people- the street teams, organizers, rally attendees- are not the ones who elected him president, but they were integral in his election and were the very cornerstone of the so called 'obamamania'. If these people, who have given months of their lives in dedication to his campaign and his message look around and see that the change they've been counting on is nowhere in sight, their support will quickly turn on its head. After all, there is no worse enemy then a jilted lover.