I completely agree with your Obama story comments. The story has gotten lost in vortex that is Washington Politics. Last night, he made an earnest effort to restore his story and vision. We need our leaders to share their vision and to continue to remind us why it is important. Today, he goes back to work. Today, the political pressures set in again. Today, is a chance to build on the story framework he began last night.

Newsweek has a great article “The Inspiration Gap” in this week’s edition. If you have not read it, give it a spin, I think you will like it.

I’m struck with the awesome symbolism of this day. For both Obama and Apple’s iPad – they each are standing at a unique inflection point.

In the case of Apple, the story is a lot easier – there’s a clear arc, marked by a historical context, convergence of media, technological innovation, and a little sci-fi imagineering.

In the case of Obama, the story’s been lost and hijacked by others. Where’s the storytelling in chief we got to know so intimately on the campaign trail. It’s the larger narrative that we bought into with Obama, and he stopped telling it, much less showing us how we was living it.

I’m afraid the odds are much clearer in the case of Apple. There were no surprises in Steve Jobs presentation – it was like the future is here, filled with new possibilities, and we were all expecting it.

For Obama, tonight, I don’t think anyone knows what to expect – whether that’s his speech, or the net impact of his presidency in moving our country out of the mud.