What Happened to Obama's Passion?

Impact

In this weekend's Sunday Review section of the New York Times, Emory University psychology professor Drew Westen wrote a scathing critique of President Barack Obama and his failure to lead since taking office in 2008. In a piece entitled, "What Happened to Obama?" Westen writes that Obama has squandered his chance to lead the country in a new direction, alienating his supporters by failing to tell the right stories to the American people. He argues that by always seeking compromise, Obama has pandered to the middle and weakened his policies in the process. Here are his four different explanations for this disappointment, ranging in severity:

Obama has tried to be a "centrist" politician in order to appeal to "centrist" voters.

Do you agree with Westen that Obama's presidency has been a disappointment and failure? If so, which of these factors is to blame?