Krauthammer warns: "Don't underestimate Obama"

In today's AJC, the conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer writes: "I have a warning for Republicans: Don't underestimate Barack Obama. Consider what he has already achieved."

Perhaps this is a good way for us liberal-progressives to evaluate Obama's achievements, by looking at what the opposition is upset about. Krauthammer lists these, and I put his comments in quotes:

1. Health care reform. "This alone makes his presidency historic." (And that's even without the public option or the single payer plans that we really wanted.)

2. Major financial reform. "It will give the government unprecedented power in the financial marketplace." (And we were disappointed it didn't go further.)

3. Nearly $1 trillion stimulus. "The largest spending bill in U.S. history." (And we thought the stimulus was way too small.)

4. But, K. says, "Obama's most far-reaching accomplishment is his structural alteration of the U. S. budget" -- by which he means that all this money going out will mean raising taxes (right, letting the Bush tax cuts expire). And K. is wringing his hands in despair at the budget deficit, which didn't seem to upset these folks at all when Bush pushed through the huge tax cuts and started wars -- without paying for either.

No, it's very clear that the admittedly huge budget deficit has been caused by three things: (1) the tax cuts for the wealthy; (2) the Afghanistan and Iraq wars; and (3) the financial collapse. And those all began when George W. Bush was president.

K. goes further and warns what Obama might accomplish in a second term, if Republicans don't stop him at the polls: (1) massive regulation of the energy economy; (2) federalizing higher education; and (3) comprehensive immigration reform.

So, Mr. Krauthammer, thank you for doing my homework for me. All I have to do is take your negatives and flip them into positives to assess the Obama achievements thus far and predictions for future accomplishments. They may not be all we want, but they are huge accomplishments and would be a credit to any president even in peacetime with no financial crisis and a cooperative Congress. I'm glad old sourpuss Krauthammer has so much faith in our president's ability.

Ralph