As President Barack Hussein Obama is set to publicly take the oath of office for the second time today, one thing is immutably true—he is the greatest president of the 21st century.
Now, granted, the competition isn't that fierce. The most obvious reason such a bold statement can be made is that he's not George Bush. Floor-level bars aren't hard to clear.
Having said that though, there is still something to be said abut Obama and his place on the post-Rushmore Rushmore. His presidency cannot be ruled out as "great," particularly if he continues to execute his ambitious second-term agenda.
Consider this: in the history of the nation few Presidents have inherited a worse mess. Certainly Abraham Lincoln, who merely by the act of being inaugurated virtually lit the powder keg of the civil war.
Only Franklin Roosevelt inherited a worse economy.
Only Andrew Johnson faced a more ornery and hostile congress.
Obama inherited a country with the second worst economy in the nation's history, massive deficits, mounting unemployment, a banking system on the verge of collapse auto industry on the precipice of bankruptcy.
He inherited two wars in two different countries, both caught in an unwinnable quagmire, both also being enormous drains on the ever growing debt.
He faced all of this with a uniquely bitter and hostile Republican party, which literally, as he was inaugurated was discussing strategies how to prevent him from being able to accomplish anything at all.
He faced a House which in the last two years has passed a record low pieces of legislation ad a Senate with a record high of filibusters.
In spite of all this Obama begin executing an ambitious and aggressive agenda. First up was save the economy, which in spite of what the conservative talking heads would have you believe, he did.
He passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009. Even in spite of the fact that some Republican governors refused to spend the money allocated to them, sabotaging their own state's economic health just to spite Obama, the economy begin to show signs of recovery.
Within weeks, unemployment claims started to decline. Within a year, the economy started to show a net positive job growth. Since then more than 4.5 million jobs have been created. The recession ended and we've had a slow but steady growth in our economy since then.
He re-regulated Wall Street when he signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street act. He bought up toxic assets to recapitalize banks and it didn't cost the government a dime.
He saved the auto industry through the obnoxiously labeled "Government Motors: bailout. The big three in the auto industry all gained market shares for the first time in over 20 years in 2011.
He ended the war in Iraq. Now he's ending the war in Afghanistan.
And yes, he ended Osama Bin Laden. He helped to end Muammar Gaddafi too.
He formally ended the egregious US policy which defended torture.
He also ended Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He was the first President who refused to prosecute the ironically titled, "Defense of Marriage Act."
He did something that most believed was less likely to ever be done than a black man being elected President, he passed something resembling national health care, and this in spite of one of the most malicious smear campaigns in the history of the country.
(And please, don't try and equate accurate and honest criticisms of Bush's push for war in Iraq by using cherry picked "evidence" of non-existent WMD with "death panels.")
He did all this with a veritable cacophony of right-wing talking heads on Fox News and the radio ceaselessly attacking him, smearing him, lying about him, calling into question his validity, raising invalid questions about his right to be president, and even the origin of his birth.
He issued new regulations through the EPA which will force some of the worst coal burning power plants to close, reducing carbon emissions significantly. He signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act which designated 2 million acres as wilderness. He invested heavily in renewable energy.
And he did all of this while reducing the deficit.
This is hardly a complete list of his accomplishments. Nor should we ignore his failings. He has some. There are those on both sides of the aisle who have issues.
But that's indicative of what Obama's greatest strength is, contrary to what the Republican leadership was espousing ad nauseum yesterday. He truly tries to see all sides (as opposed to both) of each issue.
He is far more a compromiser than the right gives him credit for, and is criticized from the left for being too much of one.
With his second term still ahead of him and an even more ambitious to do list. He wants to reform immigration, improve gun control, and further reduce the deficit.
He's also shown that he's learned from his first term that there is a difference between compromising and allowing his position to be compromised. His tone is stronger and more aggressive in the second term.
He's using his greatest asset, the will of the majority of the people more effectively.
Obama could be unique among second-term Presidents in having an even more prodigious second-half.
When history is written Obama may well be considered one of the great Presidents in American history, much to the chagrin of the aforementioned cacophony of right-wing pundits.
