I awoke to the the following teaser on my RSS feed from none other than Mark Halperin this morning.
Mark Halperin's new "One Nation" column: The President (with help from BidenEmanuel-et al) is getting stuff done.
And that matters.
Just because it is blog bait doesn't mean it isn't true.
Having just woken up after a scant 3 hours of sleep, I thought my eyes must be playing tricks on me. So I took the dare and clicked on the link. Join me below the fold for an article that made my morning.
One would think with the level of dischord on both sides of the aisle towards President Obama that he has accomplished very little during his first 18 months in office. Media focus to tends to land on the negative whether due to bias or ratings chasing. (Fox excluded). But Halperin seems to have taken a step back and viewed this presidency from a long view, instead of a day to day skirmish and likes what he sees.
Before the Right jabbers (what about the huge debt, the broken tax pledge, the paucity of overseas accomplishments?), the Left yammers (Guantanamo hasn't been closed, gays aren't serving openly in the military, too many policies cater to business interests!), and the media chides (POTUS and party poll numbers are down, Washington is more partisan than ever), look at the two key metrics that underscore Obama's accomplishments. It is too early to assess the ultimate measure of victory — whether the President's actions have been prudent and beneficial, domestically and internationally. But by Election Day, 2010, Obama will have soundly achieved many of his chief campaign promises while running a highly competent, scandal-free government. Not bad for a guy whose opponents (in both parties) for the White House suggested he was too green in national life to know how to do the job — and whose presidency began in the midst of a worldwide economic crisis that demanded urgent attention and commanded much of his focus.
He goes on to point out that some of Obama's best decision making has been on the people he has chosen to surround himself with. I know there's a lot a Rahm hate on the left, but Halperin makes a good point.
Emanuel's hand (and his six years of experience in the Clinton Administration) can be seen in many facets of the operational success. The White House controls the Washington and media agenda most days, carefully coordinating with Capitol Hill and interest groups partners. Bad news is not allowed to fester. And the greatest asset, the President himself, is deployed with strategic planning and tactical nimbleness.
It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day play by play, but when you step back and look at the big picture, Obama is on track to have an extremely successful presdiency and a positive legacy that will rival any of the geat modern presidencies.
Update Whoa! Thanks for the rec list peeps! They actually expect me to work today so I am late getting back. Thanks again!