I don't think it's all that bad and I'm not surprised at what has happened so far.

There also should be a lot less separation between domestic policy and foreign policy. Domestic policy has a huge impact on foreign policy.

Obama is dealing with a recalcitrant congress, and there's no way there is enough political conviction to get a total progressive agenda passed. But there are strategic decisions one might make to push the ball forward, and health care was one such decision. It will have far-reaching ramifications on American policies, both foreign and domestic. Of course, the Supreme Court's Citizen United decision will likely have even more far reaching implications.

I'm also not certain why you said American progressives have been cowed by conservatives and the corporate media elite into accepting their inferiority. It's clear that progressives in the USA are inferior.

Given the USA's electoral college and campaign finance laws, we have a flawed democracy. The system here is rigged from the start against progressives. Obama is operating under that system.

There also isn't any counterbalance to the USA in the world. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we saw European leadership that conflicted with US policy? But we don't.