In response to criticism and disappointment from the Left, this book offers a bold assessment of the lasting successes and major achievements of President Obama. Barack Obama was once a most unlikely candidate, but his successful campaign for the White House made him a worldwide sensation and a transformative figure even before he was inaugurated. Elected as the Iraq War and the Great Recession had discouraged millions of Americans, Obama made a promise of hope that revived the national spirit. Soon after he occupied the White House, Congress approved his economic-recovery act and his program to save the U.S. auto industry. Both worked better than any observer predicted, and together they powered a recovery that has seen growth return and unemployment reduced to below five percent. Today the American economy is again the most vibrant in the world and its recovery has far outpaced Western Europes.

Ending the great recession: it was the economy, stupid -- Auto industry rescue: "the doomsayers were wrong" -- Health care reform: saving Spike Dolomite -- Energy: sun, wind, and market forces -- Environment: saving the planet -- Foreign policy: Obama's world -- Education: racing to the top -- Financial reform: boring is better -- Equality: expectations, limits, progress -- Unfinished business (and failures) -- Postscript: the benefits of cool.