Andrew Sullivan, Anglo-Irish Catholic American married gay libertarian conservative [ ], offers a novel take on Obama's long march to a second term. I can't say that I wholly agree with his thesis, but it makes more sense than the usual shrill rhetoric we get from both left and right.

Andrew Sullivan, Anglo-Irish Catholic American married gay libertarian conservative [ ], offers a novel take on Obama's long march to a second term. I can't say that I wholly agree with his thesis, but it makes more sense than the usual shrill rhetoric we get from both left and right.

This is an excellent article and I immediately sent it out to the list of people constantly complaining about Obama.

This is an excellent article and I immediately sent it out to the list of people constantly complaining about Obama.

I ditto your sentiments most wholeheartedly. This is an important article pointing out the many accomplishments in a very difficult political and economic environment by a president who is anything but an extremist in any way, shape, form or fashion, despite the political spin.

I took notice of Obama's long-game approach in the primary where he planned for the long haul and scooped up all those caucus states after Super Tuesday where Hillary's campaign plan ended, assuming victory by that point. I also saw the long game in the Health Care and Don't Ask, Don't Tell battles. It has also shown in the budget and debt showdowns where he has effectively played rop-a-dope with the GOP. First was the budget battle with the big cuts that amounted to no more than an effective 38 million dollars the first year.The tea party freshmen were incensed that their 100 billion target cuts over ten years got cut back and the lesser package negotiated resulted in so little realized the first year.

Similarly, with the debt ceiling fight, he ultimately got the debt limit increased, with no revisitation of the topic till after the election. An outcome better than could have been hoped for going in. Big deal that Congress gets to voice its nonbinding disapproval two times more. The issue has effectively been removed from the GOP for 2012.

Obama has achieved a lot and in very difficult times as Sullivan points out. He is a masterful, if stealth politican.

Also, he has disappointed me on occasions with finance reform details, slow approaches to DADT, no Public Option. But looking at where we are now from where we began when he took office, we are light years ahead. I'm doubtful that Hillary could have been more successful in achievements even if we had more of a feeling of a crusade underway.

I look forward to his next four years with a Democrat House. If only the Dems could retain the Senate but that is a long long stretch.