Obama's not perfect but in my lifetime the most Liberal President we have had

[HereSince1628]

12. I was fortunate to be aware of few that were better, imo.

Of course, that qualification also reflects the rules and expectations of the times I lived.

What is talked about as moderate seems very much to the right of my past
What is talked about as liberal now seems more concerned with 'pragmatics' than compassion and cooperation than it once did.

I'd say Johnson, despite his belching farting caricature, was probably the most effective liberal president I've lived under.
Because of Bobby Kennedy, his brother's administration was the most concerned about human equality.
As far as having a compassionate heart and a desire to do the best for everyone, I'd go with the "failed" Jimmy Carter.

Obama raised everyone's expectations, including mine. At the moment it's pretty hard to judge him...because key parts of what he campaigned on were very very quickly traded in the 'pragmatics' of DC politics and those things where he chose to make a stand have only had a chance to bear limited fruit.