General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Greenwald makes another Snowden dump. This time Brazil papers. US spied on millions of e-mails calls [View all]mattclearing
(10,091 posts)Obama has disappointed on many fronts. To a certain extent, I think the amount you can get done as President depends on the extent to which you accept the office as it comes. Obama has taken this to an extreme, and accepted the office in fairly unacceptable condition. It sounds like where Bush didn't really care about legality or propriety in some of these programs, Obama just let people give them the CYA once-over, on everything from spying to torture to Wall Street.
Still, a presidency where Obama simply tried to undo all of Bush's work wouldn't have accomplished much, especially considering the treatment he's received from Congress. I like to think he'd have done better with hard bargaining and better social skills, but I think there are limits to what a President can accomplish.
The 1% are going to get their way, with or without the President. Getting through two terms alive is a pretty big accomplishment for Obama. I am reluctant to condemn him, no matter how bad his policies are, because of this. I also try to remember the many, many good things he has been able to do, both with and without Congressional help.