Obama decided to use the economic crisis to build momentum behind a turbocharged first-year agenda. His rationale was that until the country addressed the cost and availability of health care and put itself on a path away from dependence on foreign oil, there could be no assurance of long-term economic security.

That strategy also assumed that winning could beget winning, which would strengthen Obama’s hand and stiffen spines in Congress for some truly difficult votes. If voters were frustrated by gridlock in Washington, Obama would show he could make the system work.

There was also a strong case for taking this path. A crisis atmosphere might help galvanize the country and even bring Democrats and Republicans together with a sense of urgency to act. Striking quickly became attractive. Though it would tax the political skills of the new president and his team, it was ultimately more appealing…

But who was to say that waiting on health-care reform would have made it easier? Given congressional inertia and the realities of the legislative and political cycles, putting off health-care and energy legislation would probably have meant delaying action until after the 2010 midterm elections and perhaps until the beginning of a possible second Obama term.