Barack Obama was on Jon Stewart's show last night. I watched it on the web. The president said, "When we promised, during the campaign, 'change you can believe in,' it wasn't 'change you can believe in' in 18 months; it was 'change you can believe in' – but you know what? – we're gonna have to work for it."
This follows on the previous night's guest, Senator Ted Kaufman (Biden's appointed replacement from Delaware), who pointed out that although the Senate is corrupt and obstructionist (not his words), it was designed to be that way. Yes, let's remember what the founders intended. So, given that as a context, perhaps former Senator Obama has an important point.
I understand the limitations of the legislative process, and recognize that the executive branch is not always (or even often) able to set legislative agendas. But I remain disappointed by him. I really thought he'd have been better able to meet the rhetorical challenges of the presidency than he's typically been, although he's had his moments.