The vast majority of Americans are better off than they were when he first took office. And their children are better off, thanks to a President focused more on the long-term than the news cycle.

On a personal level, Obama is honest, smart, far-sighted, decisive, eloquent and, yes, cool — in both senses of the world.

I’ve known Obama since 2002, interviewed him often and talked with scores of his friends and aides in the course of writing two books about him. He’s cucumber cool in a crisis, which is an important trait in a President whose nuclear codes hold all of our fates in his hands.

And he’s much hipper than most politicians — likely the coolest president we’ll get for a while.