Elder Bush says Obama will face tough job

LAWRENCE, Kan., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush says he thinks Barack Obama will start off well as president but then will realize the enormity of the job.

Speaking Sunday at the University of Kansas, Bush, 84, told students gathered to see him honored with the Robert J. Dole Leadership Prize that U.S. President-elect Obama will soon encounter an array of daunting problems after an initial wave of enthusiasm, the University Daily Kansan reported.

"I think he'll do pretty well to begin, but once the reality sets in, (he'll realize) this is a huge job and there are enormous problems out there that one president can't solve," Bush said. "And when the opposition says, 'We're not going to go along with that,' he's going to find the tough realities of politics."

Asked what advice he'd give Obama, Bush said, "Well I think I'd be one of the last people he'd turn to for advice, but I'd just say do your job," the Daily Kansan reported. "Don't be deterred by interruptions and the press on your case and all of that. But do what you think is right … and sell the American people on it."