Last week, Tina and I took a walk with the girls on inauguration day to head down to the U Street Rite Aid. I actually felt pretty good on the walk — something that seemed to impress my doctors when I saw them later in the week.

U Street was filled with vendors hawking unofficial Obama souvenirs — everything from posters to calendars to books and videos. It was pretty overwhelming. There was even a store called “Everything Obama” which, I presume, is being honest about its wares.

One cannot underestimate the power of Obama’s inauguration for the African American community, but I worry that the expectations on what he can achieve are too high. Many of the posters I saw for sale depict him as a messiah figure, some even quoting prophecy and scripture describing him as the one that was promised.

I’m a supporter of a pragmatic, center-left politician named “Barack Obama,” but this other Obama, Obama the savior, is a bit disturbing. It reminds me in some what of a mirror image of the evangelical view of Bush as being god’s own President.  I like my Presidents as human beings — capable, but not infallible.  I loathe the idea of American Caesers and the cult of personality that develops around human beings.

When human beings get elevated to messianic god-men, there’s nothing but disappointment ahead for their supporters. I have high hopes for Obama, but there’s only so much one man can do.  I just wish some of my political allies would dial it back a bit and try to think of how crazy some of this sounds.  Obama can be a great President and leader, but he’s not a prophecized prophet or anything.  Setting him up as such doesn’t serve our side very well.