Obama is the captive of his office. Back in 2007 he spoke out against the Big Brother spectre of government invading our privacy on all levels, and promised to oppose this. Now, because it's supposedly in the national interest he has been cornered into defending this surveillance policy.
Our "esteemed" president is the object of both the adoration and scorn that come with the territory, and is currently reduced to bearing the awesome responsibility of keeping the seat warm for the next puppet elected to maintain the agendas of corporate American and the military industrial complex. Rubbing controversial Attorney General, Eric Holder, in the faces of Republic senators and appointing the much maligned Susan Rice to a position that requires no senate confirmation are his current consolation prizes.
His legacy will be a lack luster one but a few rewards await him. In the future, his wife can go back to shopping at Target, and he can resume his pick-up basketball games. So much for the experiment of a black presidency.