Obama and Iran

It has far too often seemed a presidency marked by a failure of hope. Newtown left its scars but little change. The fight for a sensible immigration policy has led only to executive actions that are challenged and castigated. We did not become a post racial nation after the election of Mr. Obama, but one in which fissures of hate in Ferguson and beyond reminded us how far is left to travel.

In foreign lands we have been unable to remove ourselves from conflicts of which we have grown weary and seemingly have no answers. Instead of watching democracy flourish, we have been witness to new and often unspeakable horrors.

So why is it that I believe President Obama may leave a legacy of greatness at the end of his tenure? Despite relentless opposition, he has moved this country forward from the darkness to provide health care to millions who have previously been brutally left behind to suffer and die while under an uncaring eye. Yes, Obamacare is far from perfect, a Rube Goldberg compilation that has many holes. Far too many are still left uncovered, but, as Joe Biden would say, it is a BFD. So many before him tried and failed. President Obama did not.

And being able to change the narrative with Iran is something that has seemed impossible for so many decades. Now, we are on the verge, of bringing the open hostility down to a simmer and giving us all the possibility of reducing the rhetoric and the hatred. Amidst the rubble we have found something good, something of which we can be proud. It is a tribute to a president who has not listened to the voices calling  for a conflagration. It is a statement of a president who has far better vision than his critics would allege.

Yes, we are not where we would envision ourselves, both domestically and abroad. But we must recognize that we are on the precipice of something very important. And if Mr. Biden could weigh in with his thoughts, I am sure they would echo what he has said at least once before.