president de facto -almost; tackling of econ "starts today".

Times of London:

Barack Obama effectively took control of the US economy - two months before he takes office - by declaring that his plan to confront the financial crisis "starts today".

As he unveiled his new economic team, Mr Obama struck a very different note from the diffident election winner of three weeks ago who stressed that America is led by only "one president at a time".

Today, he appeared fully aware that the US and global markets are looking to him, not President Bush, for solutions to the deepening crisis.