They applaud a lot of what Obama’s done, which the White House says is clear proof of a man who has stayed true to progressive principles. The federal health care system that spent decades as a Democratic dream will be reality Oct. 1, and there’s never been a president with anything close to Obama’s record on gay and broader civil rights. He got the troops out of Iraq, and he rolled back some of the Bush tax cuts.

But even on these, liberals have long seen a president who has fallen short, cutting deals — like never pushing for single-payer health insurance. Or championing the more modest Dodd-Frank banking reforms instead of a renewed Glass-Steagall Act. They say those moves diluted what they’re supposed to stand for, and what they used to think he stood for.

“I don’t think that anyone at this point would characterize the president as the progressive warrior that the progressive movement is anxious to see,” said Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who claimed victory after the new diplomatic efforts that started as he and other Hill liberals resisted the Syria authorization…

“The president was the embodiment of the dreams and aspirations of a better country and better future,” said Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), recalling the feeling in the crowd at Obama’s inauguration. “To some extent the person that he’s not is a person that he ultimately could never be.”