social discourse is now a bit more critical of America than it was at its low-water mark at the end of the Clinton administration
That was the high watermark in my opinion! Clinton was actually quite popular world-wide, and he left the US economy in good shape.
You actually don't challenge any of the 9 points I have made except to say no other President has done more in less than 2 years.
santiago:
Only 2 years at the job, I think it would be hard to find a president since FDR (inclusive) that has actually accomplished as much internationally
So what are his foreign policy successes? (I gave him credit for his domestic successes at the top of the story).
However, what he hasn't yet done doesn't really say much because he has, in fact, done a lot of other things, such as:
His record of actual achievement is very thin to date however, and it's much to early to say whether he will achieve much in the rest of his term. His habit of not really leading from the front - until he absolutely has to - means that the speed of progress will be determined by a few centrist dems/republicans and the MIC and much of his early momentum/capital has been squandered at this stage.
His impact has been much less than hoped for by the rest of the world, and his effective endorsement of Israel's act of war against humanitarian civilians was the last straw for me. Don't forget that this will have profound implications for how others will deal with America. Effectively the US has now lost the boost to its prestige it received with his election. In terms of international influence the USA is back to a Bush level of influence. Frank's Home Page and Diary Index