Obama's chance to be next FDR or Reagan fading fast

McClatchy Newspapers - President Barack Obama's dream of being a historically transformational figure like Franklin D. Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan may be slipping from his grasp.

To be sure, he's already made one lasting mark that changed the country's course - his election as the first African-American president broke a centuries-old racial barrier.

He also could break through with bold new initiatives that change the course of history, as Richard Nixon did late in his first term when he opened U.S. relations with communist China.

However, Obama's quest to usher in a new liberal era - one with major new policies and a growing Democratic voter majority punctuating a shift away from the conservative era that Reagan ushered in - is in trouble and may be disintegrating.

Health care? His best hope now is a Senate plan that would leave millions still uninsured, dashing his promise of universal health care, and even that may already be out of reach.

Legislation to fight global warming? Stalled in the Senate.

Forging peace in the Middle East? Hasn't been able to get the region's adversaries in the same room, let alone close to agreement.

Ending venomous partisanship? Washington is more polarized than ever.

Leading his party to an enduring majority? Right now, it's heading in the other direction. Read more.