Really.. the American people put the brakes to it.. thats retarded... he could have closed Gitmo and ended the wars... and not bargoned with Repubs on Taxes without populus intervention if he wanted to.. thats just a dumb ass talking point that is supposed to sound good but dosent really add up to reality..
He didn't close Gitmo, because for all the people that were demanding that he do so, NONE were willing to house those pieces of garbage themselves in their cities, states, or countries.
And, the final nail was the trial, in which that terrorist almost walked SCOTT-FREE.
Obama CAMPAIGNED on Afghanistan, stating that it (not Iraq) was the 'war of necessity' and the 'real war on terror'. As for Iraq, all Obama is doing is what Bush stated from the get-go: As they stand up; we stand down. Obama simply gave a timetable; Bush didn't.
As for the tax codes, the GOP has him by the nuts, after the beating the Dems just took at midterms. What part of that don't you understand?
If our taxes go up, he goes DOWN in 2012 and he knows it. He wants to get this over and done, because he does NOT want the GOP to squeeze tighter in January (when they take over the House) and force him to sign a longer extension on the tax cuts, with no benefits for his side to show for it.