Nobel, Healthcare Let Obama Advance After Long Stall

Pollster John Zogby updates our weekly Obama Report Card with a grade on the president's performance. Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis, and interaction with major players to come up with a grade and some comments that capture how he sees the president's week ending.

John Zogby on Week 47:

"My job is to rate the president each week based on his activity, and there can be great changes. We have seen the president in a slump, and the last few weeks have produced a rating of C-. But this was a good week. He received his Nobel Peace Prize, which earns him a spot in history with only two other sitting presidents: Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Not too shabby. (And frankly, those who do not think he deserves it will not be remembered.) Lots of twists and turns on healthcare reform, but Obama is moving closer to a bill and has gotten much further along on universal coverage than any other president. There is obviously the lurking shadow of Afghanistan. However, he explained his policy and covered some of what conservatives and liberals were looking for, so he gets a solid B this week. But stay tuned.

This week's grade: B

Last week: C-

John Zogby is president and CEO of Zogby International, a public opinion, research, and business solutions firm with experience in more than 70 countries. Founded and led by Zogby since 1984, Zogby International specializes in telephone, Internet, and face-to-face survey research and analysis for corporate, political, nonprofit, and governmental clients. The firm is headquartered in Utica, N.Y. John Zogby also is the author of The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream (Random House).