
Who is pleased with our nearly-one-quarter-of-a-term president? Who isn't? I was just watching CNN (a rarity these days) and they were talking about what Obama has so far achieved. Here's my own take: I think you have to credit the stimulus for pulling us out of some serious doldrums, even if the recovery is still only lackluster at best. I also think the president has made stellar appointments, particularly in the science infrastructure; and I have been thrilled at the emphasis on science funding and science education. But I am less pleased with the relative lack of progress on solving the extremely urgent climate problem. Agency-wise, the administration has made all the right moves at places like EPA; but as Copenhagen approaches, we ought to be able to point to a lot more progress than that relatively easy stuff. Alas, we can't, and Congress isn't the only party responsible here. So overall, I give Obama a B. Others?