AP
Demonstrators in opposition to the financial summit protest near the World Bank in Washington, DC, yesterday.

WASHINGTON, DC (AP):

President-elect Barack Obama is an invisible force as foreign leaders and Congress convene separately in Washington, the economy at centre stage.

One sentiment runs below the crosscurrents as a summit of world leaders wrestles with a global crisis this weekend and Congress in the week ahead struggles with rising unemployment and an ailing auto industry: What would Obama do?

Obama is staying away, ensconced in Chicago, unwilling to make any public show of political influence before he is sworn in to office on January 20. Indeed, his break with Congress will be complete on Sunday when he officially resigns his Illinois Senate seat.

Summit only a beginning

Obama is being especially cautious about the economic summit, letting President George W. Bush represent the nation. But in the Democratic weekly radio address yesterday, Obama subtly made the point that the summit was only a beginning. "I'm glad President Bush has initiated this process because our global economic crisis requires a coordinated global response," he said.

Obama was more direct with Congress. He urged lawmakers to "pass at least a down payment on a rescue plan that will create jobs, relieve the squeeze on families, and help get the economy growing again".

"If Congress does not pass an immediate plan that gives the economy the boost it needs, I will make it my first order of business as president," Obama said.

Obama's challenges

No major economic breakthroughs are expected, and, for Obama, the challenges he faces upon becoming president might seem a bit clearer after the foreign leaders and Congress pack up and go home.

"You can imagine the difficulty from the perspective of the participants," said David Lewis, an expert on the presidency at Vanderbilt University. "You don't want to put a lot of effort into doing something when you know that the arrival of a next administration might undo all the work you have done or might undercut an administration that you want to see what they have to offer."

While Obama has laid out an agenda for tackling the economic gloom, the question facing Congress and the international community is whether his prescriptions will be enough.