Overruling the preferences of his team and of conventional wisdom, his choice of running mate avoided several indefensible choices like Tim Pawlenty or Chris Christie who would have hurt the ticket and the Republican Party.
No one will remember that Obama was forced to support the sanctions because he had no other choice, since next month his engagement policy will become indefensible.
Heralding wholesale welfare reforms, he said the current system was "unaffordable... morally indefensible" and should no longer support people who had made the "mistaken choice" to live on benefits.