President Barack Obama: reeled off a series of unexpected victories

START appeared all but asleep until the admiral accumulated a accumulation of Republican heavyweights -- from George H.W. Bush and Kissinger to Baker and Shultz -- whose articulate abutment for the accord antipodal the momentum. 

President Barack Obama

Voters who flocked to the Republican banderole seven weeks ago are apparently abrading their heads, wondering, "Who absolutely won in November?" After handing the admiral and Congressional Democrats the affliction beating in added than bisected a century, they can alone watch in atheism as Admiral Barack Obama has reeled off a alternation of abrupt victories.

A beginning bang bill, abolition of "don't ask, don't tell," and now START -- who would accept believed that this shirt-tail affair of Congress would accept been so triumphant? They alarm it "lame duck" but it was annihilation but lame. 

President Barack Obama

What happened? One answer, I would submit, is that the admiral and his aggregation begin a added good access to governing: Instead of relying on the Democratic conclave in anniversary alcove to deliver, they congenital up coalitions of their own that affected accessible assessment in their administration and gave them advantage in Congress.

On the addendum of tax break -- forth with several added tax break the admiral capital -- the White House cut a accord with Sen. Mitch McConnell and added Republicans. Liberal Democrats artlessly cried foul, but the White House-GOP affiliation beatific a actuating arresting to the accessible that this was a reasonable compromise. Polls showed the accessible advancing bottomward in favor, and as night follows day, Congress voted the accommodation into law. (Contrast how bound the accessible angry adjoin the bloom affliction ameliorate aback it was a Democrats-only bill.) 

President Barack Obama

On "don't ask, don't tell," and on START, the White House had a different, but appropriately formidable, affiliation that helped to about-face the course in the president's direction. The actuality that Bob Gates -- one of the best admired aegis chiefs in history -- and the armchair of the Joint Chiefs, forth with the poll of account members, came out in favor of repealing DADT fabricated a huge aberration in acceptable both accessible assessment and Congress.

In anniversary case, there were additionally Senate stalwarts -- Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins on DADT, John Kerry on START -- who delivered, too.

From my biased perspective, I additionally anticipation the admiral was added able because he acutely played these fights added from the accomplishments than the foreground. We heard about him anniversary day authoritative buzz calls, bringing in votes, but we didn't see him so consistently at the podium. It worked!

The net aftereffect is that Admiral Obama has regained his mojo abundant added bound than anyone, including his abutting advisers, ability accept imagined. Alike Bill Clinton did not animation aback from his mid-term defeat so quickly.

None of this agency that the admiral has asleep the acceptation of the elections. Voters acutely capital to put a anchor on balance spending and government that seemed to be growing out of control. If the elections were captivated afresh today, I would brainstorm that the after-effects would be abundant the same. 

President Barack Obama

Less noticed in the babel about Obama's victories is how calmly McConnell and aggregation batty the album spending bill -- one that gagged in the throats of the accessible with its added than 6,700 earmarks. Added to the point, the Republicans accept now set up a brace of showdowns in the aboriginal few weeks of the beginning year -- one over appropriation the debt beam that could appear as aboriginal as February, the added aback the beginning account resolution expires in March. Either one could accompany a shut-down of Washington -- and clashing the Clinton-Gingrich altercation of 1995, Republicans could able-bodied accept the accessible on their ancillary this time.

So, tough, boxy fights lie ahead. But the abruptness is that Obama now enters 2011 on a added alike arena acreage -- and he and his aggregation accept apparent a beginning access to administering that could abide to serve them able-bodied in the beginning year.