If history is a guide a victory for Obama means he faces the prospect of a second term dogged by scandal or inertia.

History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.

But you say does it represent change? The change is that we are fighting an insurance industry that has killed health reform for generations. They're spending tens of millions of dollars right now to defeat this bill and we're on the doorstep of winning a great victory for the American people.

There's no one place a virus goes to die - but that doesn't make its demise any less a public health victory. Throughout human history viral diseases have had their way with us and for just as long we have hunted them down and done our best to wipe them out.

Obama seemed poised to realign American politics after his stunning 2008 victory. But the economy remains worse than even the administration's worst-case scenarios and the long legislative battles over health care reform financial services reform and the national debt and deficit have taken their toll. Obama no longer looks invincible.

Happiness is a byproduct of function purpose and conflict those who seek happiness for itself seek victory without war.

Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.

And that is the reason why this victory is great because different players have made contributions to the win.

In reading the lives of great men I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first.

We used to root for the Indians against the cavalry because we didn't think it was fair in the history books that when the cavalry won it was a great victory and when the Indians won it was a massacre.