Healthcare bill cements President Obama's legacy

Depending on their generation, most Americans will never forget where they were and what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was bombed, Jack Kennedy was murdered and the twin towers were toppled by madness and hatred. Though hardly as stark or tragic, except among the most fevered Obama-bashers, Sunday's health care vote has joined that pantheon of moments frozen in time. It doesn't matter that this bill is far less ambitious than many wanted, kicks in at an anemic pace and lets premium-gouging insurers off the hook for several more years. It's still the stuff of history. Barack Obama has pulled off the most epic piece of social legislation since Lyndon B. Johnson got Medicare and Medicaid passed in 1965. Every President since Teddy Roosevelt has dreamed of expanding health care coverage to most citizens, not just the oldest and poorest. The crusade has gone nowhere. Even as savvy a pol as Bill Clinton, described to his face at a weekend gathering of Washington political elites as the Ghost of Health Care Past, couldn't get it done. Now, two-thirds of a century after President Harry Truman's national health-insurance plan was vilified, reformers have finally prevailed against Republican obstructionists, industry lobbyists and even fretful Democrats. Whatever happens in the rest of his one or two terms, Obama's presidency is now indelibly defined by health care. He made history by virtue of his very election. By prevailing yesterday, he's assured at the very least that history's next clause won't read: "But his groundbreaking electoral victory proved to be the high-water mark of his tenure, with little of consequence accomplished by his administration." Ironically, Obama has emulated George W. Bush's model in ignoring the counsel of some pragmatic, fainthearted aides to hold off on health reform until later. Bush had no use for what he derided as "small ball," opting for more ambitious big-time policies like invading Iraq and pushing to privatize Social Security. Obama's gamble that he could do better than piecemeal, despite fierce opposition from his political enemies and dwindling support from queasy Democrats, has paid off. Had he lost, his presidency would be as much toast today as his NCAA tournament brackets. He didn't - and political history shows that success, no matter how narrow or incremental, has a way of breeding more success. "The guy is going to have more bounce in his step," said legendary political consultant Stuart Spencer, who catapulted Ronald Reagan to national prominence and advised four Presidents. "If he gets his rhythm back and the economy starts getting well, Republicans better be careful."