Obama - and Hopes for the Future?

Many of us have not been ecstatic over President Obama's leadership to date. We don't have to see John McCain as better to feel like things haven't worked out well.

I look at most of the major issues, and wonder How things are likely to improve before the 2012 elections:

1.) Afghanistan - one doesn't have to be a flaming radical to see that "counter-insurgency" isn't working there. The big unifying issue whenever there is one seems to be that we are hated as "outsiders" just as the Russians were in the 1980's. To succeed if that were even faintly possible, there would need to be a "good" government as an option to the "enemy" forces. It also remains unclear to me how what we do here is somehow going to stop international terrorism or that IF we leave - declare victory and take our troops out how this will strengthen terrorism directed at us.

2.) Iraq - now we are being told that it's too soon to take our troops out (as it will be soon with Afghanistan). While there is less violence than a few years ago, it still is unclear how things will go here,

3.) Health care and health care reform - compromise legislation will help millions more get coverage eventually, however nothing has been done to stem the increased costs of health care and it will continue to bankrupt us - if serious reform isn't initiated. IF Democrats lose decisively in November, 2010 elections this will be tough to accomplish,

4.) Israel-Palestine - perhaps I'm overly cynical and as soon as the November, 2010 elections are over Obama will get tough with Israel and start really pushing for a serious change in policy which may allow peace to evolve. I'll be pleasantly shocked if this happens,

5.) The economy - I don't know where to start here. Jobs and the housing industry seem likely places to start perhaps?

It should be obvious now that Obama is a politician and hardly a "real liberal" one at that. It should also seem obvious that his tendency to try to wait for consensus to emerge and then try to work with it isn't working too well. He's not a "master politician" and he's not done a very good job of reaching "mainstream America" on any issue to date since he was elected.

It's difficult now because we can't rely upon right-wing and Republican "mistakes" to fuel unity amongst Democrats. The weaknesses of the "big tent" Democrats are most apparent now. It's sad that at the same time Democrats generally can't build upon the problems the Republicans have with their internal splits between "normal Republicans" and the Teaites and others.

I'm not real optimistic! Thanks!