Radiating confidence, Obama detailed his priorities to Congress last night: doubling renewable energy, community service in exchange for scholarships, health care reform. Among other things, Obama pledged to halve the deficit by the end of his first term. And Joe Biden will be the bailout sheriff.

I have to admit that I’m really impressed with President Obama. Not only does he seem like a genuine and real human being, more in touch with normal people than any of those other guys in Washington, I’m impressed with his ability to keep his promises and get things done.

With lightning speed, Obama is steering the enormous, cumbersome ship that is America in a completely new direction. The stimulus bill, Guantanamo Bay, making the banks accountable, investing in renewable energy, mass transit, and the list goes on.

In the period before his inauguration, while he was still President-Elect, many progressive voices were already criticizing Obama for retreating from some of the principles that fueled his campaign. Other voices told us to hold our horses, lower our expectations – after all, Washington is Washington, and there is a limit to how much you can get done in American politics.

But Obama is a sharp guy, with plenty of smart people around him. For anyone who has doubts about this, or wants a bit of insight into the way his mind works, read this extensive interview that the President gave to five newspaper columnists recently.

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