Has it really been a year (or 9 1/2 months?)

Because yesterday was the anniversary of President Obama's stunning victory over Senator McCain there was a lot of talk on the internet political sites attempting to sum up the state of affairs a year later. How is Obama doing? Has he kept his promises? How disappointed or thrilled in his administration are we? Chris Weigant provides a long, thoughtful article reflecting on the 9 1/2 months of Obama's presidency (remember that there was a 2 1/2 month time after the election in which Obama was not the president and Bush was still haunting dark corners of the West Wing, opening public lands for oil drilling against the popular will, extending the one-finger salute to all who care about unmolested natural spaces). At base, Weigant's argument comes down to the fact that

it really all boils down to is one of trust. Do you still trust President Obama to do the right thing in most situations? I did back when I voted for him, and I have to admit that I still do. I have reservations, I'm a bit wary at times over specific actions Obama takes, and strategies he employs (or doesn't employ); but that core of trust in Obama -- as a politician, and with eyes wide open on my part -- still exists, I have to say.

Yes Obama has let me down at times, pushing to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act's surveillance techniques, making Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan the new Guantanamo Bay (indefinite detentions and all), and attempting to water down health care reform to gain a sheen of "bipartisanship" despite the fact that Republicans have never attempted to negotiate in good faith. But do I still trust the man? Yes, with a heightened awareness that I should not project my dreams of ideal policy proposals onto his legislative stances.

Moreover, I have to applaud him heartily for some of the work he has done, as Weigant notes:

The second thing that Obama is trying to change is the 24-hour-news-cycle, short-sighted nature of Washington thinking (or what passes for "thinking" in the punditocracy). The jury is still largely out on this one, I have to admit. The most impressive thing about Obama, which I have noticed over and over again in the past nine months or so, is that he absolutely refuses to be drawn in to trivial subjects -- which, it must be pointed out, cause vapors, fainting, shrieking, and even (at times) heads exploding among the cable news channels. Put succinctly: Obama takes the long view. Always. Even when all around him are taking a very, very short view -- for the sake of puffing some stupid playground battle among politicians into some improved cable chat show ratings. Obama, to a very large extent, just doesn't play that game. He simply refuses to, over and over again. The only time he's really slipped up on this front was the whole "beer summit" nonsense, for which he can be forgiven (seeing as how a friend of his was involved).

The media is still the lens through which many Americans view much of the world (even in the internet age) and combating the lies that can be propagated through the television and print media, not to mention the internet, through aggressive push-back campaigns from the highest levels of the Obama Administration may offend some as overreaching on the President's part. But when you have an entire network devoted to attacking your policies and character and then calling it "news" what is one to do? Sit back and take it? Please watch this instantly-classic Jon Stewart clip to see how the Fox operation works:

Ultimately, I'm glad that Obama's in the White House and not McCain-Palin, or anyone else, for that matter. I can't think of a better politician to have at the helm, even with Obama's failings on some very important issues. I can't imagine another human being keeping his/her cool so consistently despite the multitude of problems to be confronted (have you noticed his increasingly gray hair? Although perhaps it's just natural aging...) My hope still endures for the future of our country, so here's to hoping things take a turn for the collective better.