REPOST: I'm curious...who here thinks they or anyone else, could have accomplished more than PBO

[LTR]

37. Armchair quarterbacking is easy

But until you've walked in his shoes, you have no idea the compromises he has to make, or the frustration of having your pet projects blocked at every turn. Or being attacked from all sides when you don't do enough to coddle to the extreme, irrational elements on both sides. Or knowing how to react when some fringe crackpots in international hotspots are trying to goad you into war. Being president means you have to make some pretty tough decisions. And I'll bet most of the people reading this would not be able to do this. Myself included.

Obama was dealt a pretty bad hand, and while I feel he was a bit too milquetoast at times, and afraid of being assertive, he accomplished a lot. He was the first president in half a century to reform healthcare, and for thay, he will be remembered. He was also able to diminish hatred and intolerance, by exposing his adversaries as the nasty narrow-minded assholes they are. And he has been adept at playing the political game. Sure, I realize that many here wanted blood, in the way of stringing up Bush, Cheney, et al. But that would have done way more harm than good. Look at all those Republicans screaming for Obama's head - they made complete asses of themselves, and now they've become considerably more silent.

Becoming president and accomplishing everything you want is a pipe dream in DC, and only exists in Frank Capra movies. When you become a big fish in the DC swamp, you have to play the game. You have to get your hands dirty. You have to piss off some of your supporters. That's the way it works. Obama has learned how the game is played, though I hope that going into the last two years of his presidency, he gets tough and works to make this country a better place.