After a victory of historic significance, Barack Obama will inherit problems of historic proportions. Not since Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated during the Great Depression in 1933 has a new president been confronted with the challenges Obama will face as he starts his presidency. There are several critical decisions Obama must make as he prepares to assume the presidency, including transforming his campaign promises on taxes, healthcare, energy, and education into a set of legislative priorities for his first two years in office.