What will be President Obama's "legacy"?

You think We the People have learned a valuable lesson? One would hope so, but keep in mind that no one ever went broke banking on the stupidity of the American people.

I'd like to think better of the American people but then I look to places like Detroit and get depressed...

You are right Tom. Some confuse legacy with actions, good or bad. You note what would be considered legacy items, the deterioration of the of our global influence and our economy due to his abuse of his Executive Actions will also be noted.

CPT Jack Durish - Hope you are right Capt Jack.. But Obama still has several months left & he could do more to divide us.

I agree with CPT Jack Durish. Things got more divisive and partisan. But that can't be laid entirely on one person. The system's not that fragile. It'll recover when people put more value on long-term statesmanship instead of self-centered brinkmanship. And that means both sides.

SSG (Join to see) ..." But that can't be laid entirely on one person."

True but Obama has done very little as President for all of the people as he had promised. He certainly has done absolutely nothing to bring this country together.

CPT Jack Durish - I'd like to respond to your comment reference Cuba first. At the end of the day, I believe you are absolutely correct that normalizing relations with Cuba has very little benefit to anyone. I still, however, believe that it is worthwhile because our rationale for not dealing with Cuba was exceptionally weak given some of the other nations we deal with regularly. There really is no reason for us to not deal with them currently.

As for "blaming Bush", my comments about history not looking favorably on him is not because I necessarily believe going into Iraq was a bad thing (that's a different discussion altogether), but rather because of economic issues that CAN be tied to policies he enacted (just like current economic issues that can be tied to this President). I think both of them entered office with exceptional opportunities (based on timing) to do great things and instead turned into very lackluster Presidents.

SFC Justin Scott - I was in Cuba. We had three days of liberty in Havana as part of a Caribbean Cruise. The Cuban people treated us very well and I really enjoyed the time I spent there. What amazed me was how Cubans had so little but did so much with what they had.

Sgt Tom Cunnally - They are an amazingly resilient people, but then so are most slaves. Even in the worst of conditions, people find a way to make the best of what they have and appreciate even the littlest of things. One of the interesting quotes that I uncovered in my research for my novel about Cuba, came from an American who was astonished that "Dancing is the Cuban passtime. Why," he wondered, "would they dance if they have so little." In my novel, one of my protagonists responds, "Why don't Americans who have so much, dance more?"

SFC Justin Scott - You may not remember President Nixon. He left office as one of the most reviled Presidents in history. No one liked him. No one wanted to be associated with him. No one defended him. And yet, he returned to public life after a very few years as a highly respected elder statesman. President Bush is only reviled by an ideologically driven opposition. They not only revile President Bush, but also much of American culture and heritage. Meanwhile, President Bush has his defenders (and no, I'm not among them). He greatly respects the military and they more often than not, they return that respect. You still see him active, greeting service members returning from deployments, visiting them in hospitals, and participating in events to raise funds for rehabilitation. Service members and President Bush are often photographed embracing in good fellowship. Even critics like me have begun to acknowledge that his efforts at nation building (the ones we complained of) were showing at least a modicum of success until President Obama withdrew American support and the little stability that was apparent in the Middle East quickly evaporated, leaving us to wonder where it might have led. I suspect that once a more congenial President occupies the White House, one that does not need a scapegoat to distract from his own failures, we may see President Bush returning to public life as did President Nixon.