Step 1: Admit problem.

Barack Obama's presumptive victory over Hillary Clinton is big, big, big news in Australia.

It's no surprise. The world has watched the U.S. stumble and lurch and lie and cheat and make a giant jackass out of itself since the Bush administration began its brutal assault on the qualities envied by friend and foe alike in 2001. That a young, bright, African-American of mixed parentage can challenge for the most powerful position on the planet is a reminder that the U.S. is capable of greatness. Or, plainly, of living up to its promises.

Self-help books always stress that the first step to personal salvation is admitting there's a problem. Right now, a healthy chunk of U.S. citizens have faced the ugly truth -- their nation is unwell and in need of drastic change. Question is, will the rest come clean by November?