Understanding how President Obama and his policies fit into U.S. political history is not difficult, but it does require one to look beyond the cable news hype. Neither his most ardent supporters nor his most rabid detractors are getting it right. Reality, at least in this case, is far simpler.

Writing for The Washington Post, Ezra Klein summed up the Obama presidency perfectly, capturing why many of us on the left are becoming increasingly disappointed:

We’ve obsessed over every answer except the right one: President Obama, if you look closely at his positions, is a moderate Republican from the early 1990s. And the Republican Party he’s facing has abandoned many of its best ideas in its effort to oppose him.

As we near the 2012 election, I urge voters to reflect on Klein's words. Those of you who miss the days of sane Republicans should take a second look at President Obama. And those of us who want a real progressive in the White House are going to need to look elsewhere.

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