Obama Grades Himself: "A Good Solid B+"
B+ is the grade President Obama gave himself on his first 11 months in the White House, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey for her "Christmas at the White House" special that aired Sunday night:
Here's how he answered when Oprah asked him to grade himself:
Obama: Good solid B-plus. I think that we have inherited the biggest set of challenges of any president since Frankiln Delano Roosevelt. We stabilized the economy, prevented the possibilities of a great depression, or a significant financial meltdown. The economy is growing again, we are on our way out of Iraq, I think we've got the best possible plan for Afghanistan, we have reset our image around the world, we have achieved an international consensus around the need for Iran and North Korea to disable their nuclear weapons, and I think that we're gonna pass the most significant piece of social legislation since social security and that's health insurance for every American.
Oprah: So B-plus--what could you have done better?
Obama: Well, B-plus because of the things that are undone. Health care is not yet signed. If I get health care passed, we tip into A-minus.
This week should be telling as to whether Obama will tip into that A-minus territory, as the picture of health care in the Senate will probably become clearer.