The evidence that Barack Obama is a real progressive and strong agent of change is like the evidence for the existence of bigfoot--scant and anecdotal.  When I really look at Barack Obama's life before he declared his candidacy for present, I really don't see anything that would suggest that he is someone who wants to revolutionize the status quo.  On the contrary, his life path very much suggests to me someone who wants to be a part of the status quo, someone who is very conventional. 

Obama's life before the presidency and his actions since taking office suggest to me a moderate centrist consensus-builder.  When I try to convince myself that Obama plans to do significant institutional change, I have to get into some very convoluted thinking that involves Obama have plotted to appear to be a centrist for 20+ years in order to win the presidency, and that he is now continuing to move to the right for some Machiavellian reason that lots of us who are very bright cannot comprehend.  It strains believability too much.

I think the real Obama is the man we've seen--a conventional path in life, a conventional moderate president who will try to manage the country rather than revolutionize it.  As politics necessitate, he will manipulate progressives by sounding more progressive than he is at times, and will try to manipulate conservatives by sounding more conservative than he is at times (although, obviously, they aren't buying it like progressives are).

I personally have given up on revolutionary change from Obama in terms of his actual actions as president.  But, I do believe there will be a residual revolutionary effect if he can successfully manage the presidency in a similar manner to the way Clinton did.  I think the political world will open up tremendously and give a much wider range of people a chance to win high office if Obama can have a moderately successful presidency.  I do have a strong concern that it may not be possible for him to have a moderately successful presidency if he continues to tread many of the same paths as Bush, play footsie with crazy Republicans, and shy away from taking some strong progressive actions.  But that is the best hope to me at this point--that Obama will manage a successful centrist presidency and pave the way for a future, more progressive president who will be the one that will tackle the major reforms that we need in the financial sector, the defense sector, and government transparency and accountability.