Obama's achievements

In all the monday morning punditry and hand wringing, it is well to remember what Obama has already achieved : 

• he won passage of a stimulus bill that prevented a 1930’ type depression in the U.S and a severe downturn in the world economy, 
• passed a landmark healthcare bill that Democrats had been trying to pass for the better part of a century, 
• signed a financial reform bill, and much needed reform of student loans. 
• he was responsible for a firm end to the Bush torture regime, 
• passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and a hate crimes bill, 
• led a successful rescue of the American car industry, 
• helped the resuscitation of the NLRB. 
• approved new regulation of the credit card industry, 
• new regulation of the tobacco industry, 
• a national service bill, 
• expanded stem-cell research, 
• the most sweeping land-protection act in 15 years, and 
• the confirmation of two Supreme Court justices, both women.

Even in the case of the much maligned accord on the debt ceiling, it’s worth keeping in mind that Obama got a lot out of that deal. In the end, he got

•  a food safety bill, 
• passage of the START treaty, 
• a stimulus package, 
• repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and 
• a 9/11 first Responders bill. 

Oh, and he killed Osama bin Laden too.

The fact is that Obama has done more to enact a liberal agenda in three years than George Bush did for the conservative agenda in eight. A conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan notes “given his inheritance, this has been the most substantive first term since Ronald Reagan's. And given Obama's long-game mentality, that is setting us up for a hell of a second one.”