This refers to the editorial, “State of terror address” (January 14). While former Presidents had their second term steeped in scandals, President Barack Obama has successfully evaded this ignominy. From ushering reforms, to legalising same-sex marriage and eulogising for the victims of terrorism and racial crime, Mr Obama has exuded impeccable statesmanship. The Iran nuclear deal and the consensus with India on climate change and strategic and economic interests bear testimony to the fact that he has not shied from rising above partisanship, to promote progressive causes.
However, his presidency's response to whistleblower revelation of the intrusive surveillance programmes of the National Security Agency, reactive engagements with China and adoption of hemispheric political models to resolve bilateral crisis marked a few lows in an otherwise pluralistic democracy. The final State of the Union address was, no wonder, adorned with high rhetoric to shore up the mixed legacy of the Obama years.