At the financial summit in Washington, the international community was unduly respectful of the United States, neglecting to probe more deeply into the reasons for the crisis. Only one attendee was unruly -- German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück. Here's the message he didn't deliver to Bush.

In the end, delegates to the financial summit of industrial and emerging economies delivered a closing statement without any concrete decisions. Host Bush has nothing left to say as the world eagerly awaits his successor Obama. What is clear, though, is that G-20's influence will grow.

Days before the election, Noam Chomsky told progressives that they should vote for Obama, but without illusions. I fully share Chomsky's doubts about the real consequences of Obama's victory: From a pragmatic-realistic perspective, it is quite possible that Obama will just do some minor face-lifting improvements, turning out to be "Bush with a human face." He will pursue the same basic politics in a more attractive mode and thus effectively even strengthen the U.S. hegemony, damaged by the catastrophe of the Bush years.

Secretive changes at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have diluted science and jeopardized public health. Will Obama overcome Bush's toxic legacy?

When the EU embraced sustainability, the Bush admnistration warned of economic ruin.

Obama's stunning breakthrough election as the first African-American president -- at a time when he is the only black U.S. senator -- is a testament to his personal qualities and the sophistication of his campaign. It obviously owes a lot to the well-earned unpopularity of Bush's policies, which contributed to the financial crash. But America had also changed: young white people are less racist; there's a growing Latino vote; black voters felt energized and inspired; the growing ranks of highly educated voters are more liberal.

India has thrived under Bush's pro-outsourcing policies, and many Indians hope for further prosperity with McCain.

Ari Berman Obama has a chance to flip a state that Bush won by 21 points and hasn't backed a Democrat for president since LBJ in 1964.

Bush's Global War on Terror is a very expensive fraud. When it comes to national security strategy, the next administration will need to do better.

Some of Bush's political appointees aren't about give up their jobs over a mere presidential election.