Less than a week after Tuesday’s election much of the US is still in the throes of Obamamania, and the widespread hope and the prospect of change are almost palpable. But before America goes off the deep end with expectations of a radically different world starting on January 20th, top Obama adviser Robert Gibbs has some words of caution.

“We have to remind people that we didn’t get here overnight, and we’re not going to get out of it overnight,” warned the would-be White House Press Secretary, echoing sentiments from Obama’s victory speech, during which he predicted “setbacks and false starts” and adding “The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term.”

At the end of a long day of anticipation and with an impressive electoral victory, the reality behind Obama’s words may not have entirely rung true amid a chorus of cheering supporters massed in Chicago basking in the win. But with Obama’s public condemnation of the Iranian government and even his timetable in Iraq, the cornerstone of his primary campaign, looking dead before it starts the Obama camp appears to be preparing the public for what others were already predicting: a more popular administration, better acceptance abroad, and very little concrete change in the direction of America’s foreign policy.