The most enduring and endearing quality that President Obama has displayed during the first few months of his administration is unwillingness to procrastinate or delay standing up to important issues, no matter how sensitive they are. He is the President who refuses to 'kick the can' down the road for others to solve.

He is also demonstrated that he is guided by a clear set of principles.

It means that in confronting these issues that he is continually the one who is reshaping square blocks into round holes. That process means that sometimes the enactment of actual policies in a real world with real conflicting interests means that theoretical solutions have to be tempered with competing political interests.

This is clearly seen in closing the detention facility at Gitmo. Stated the principle, advancing the policy, confronting the details. Some of those details confront awkward realities that are the result of policy of the Bush administration and do not fit a simplistic or magical solution. The contrast to Congress is astonishing.

While a large swath of Democratic congresspeople, even those from safe districts, remained quiet and voted with Republican fear mongering sentiments, the President remains firm, standing alone taking the heat.

The Cairo speech is another example.

Evenhanded, based in history and historical in reach.

Stating what everyone knows but no one confronts directly against their own interests. On issues where around the world leaders on all sides are continually 'preaching to their own choir' for their own domestic political advantage. Against Islamic extremism and its terrorist strategy, against Israeli settlements and Palestinian tolerance of violence, for Iran's rights as a nation but against nuclear proliferation, support of Islamic people expanding their path to Democracy, religious tolerance, equality of women and a shared vision of economic prosperity, not a single can kicked.

We will see in the next few weeks an organized campaign campaign to paint him as the destroyer of Israeli security, and some will nit pick the speech for not going far enough.

But our President will remain firm, take the heat and let it just fall off his back as he moves to the next 'can' he refuses to kick. The Republicans will simply be diminished, looking smaller and smaller. But if Congressional Democrats don't start taking up the slack on sensitive issues they too will be diminished, and this isn't good for the country or our Party.

Simply because we are in the choir doesn't mean that we agree we every iota of what you say, but frankly those of us in the choir know that in making tough decisions that belie simplistic formulas that sometime you are taking positions that are not your own first preference.

So from the choir, an appreciative and informed choir, thank you Mr. President.