It's exactly 12 months since Barack Obama was sworn in as America's 44th president.
Elected on a wave of optimism – and revulsion at the failings of his Republican predecessor George Bush – Obama pledged in his inauguration speech to "remake America". But his administration inherited enormous challenges: not least economic collapse and two wars.
In a special edition of our daily news podcast, Guardian America's editor-at-large Michael Tomasky joins us from our Washington office. He says Obama has been overly optimistic about his ability to strike deals with his political opponents.
Political commentator Michael White, a former Washington correspondent for the Guardian, is disturbed by the violent and irrational response to Obama's presidency.
Legal affairs correspondent Afua Hirsch assesses Obama's efforts to restore America's moral authority and his commitment to the legal process.
