Obama seen as father figure.

• Position: American Presidency - Barack Obama

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The presence of children in the White House undoubtedly will have an impact on the image of the U.S. that currently is held by its own citizens and by those in countries around the world, according to Sampson Lee Blair, associate professor of sociology at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.). "People tend to perceive a parent, especially of young children, as kind, nurturing, protective, and possessed of a beneficent nature-one that is pleasant and concerned about the well-being of others," notes Blair, who studies marriage and the American family.

"Obama will not only be a young president, but a young father, and it will be assumed that his domestic and foreign policies will be colored by the effects they will have on his daughters."

Blair says most of us presume that parents, the most important socialization force in the lives of children, keenly are aware of their substantial influence on their sons and daughters. As guides, disciplinarians, and role models, they often give considerable thought to how their choices and actions directly or indirectly will influence their kids.

Blair indicates that, given our understanding of this, the fact that Obama has young children may have sent more than a few votes his way. "As president, I would certainly expect to see Obama looking at the country, and the rest of the world, through the lens of fatherhood. Understandably, most parents want to be able to help their children to have a better life than they had. Parents want their children to have both more and better quality education; they want their children to have better jobs--though that may be difficult for...