Afghan Valley

Long before we hit the Period of Perpetually Pending Decisions, a valley in Afghanistan entered the books of history as the only thing it could be... A test for Obama:

JALREZ BAZAAR, Afghanistan — A year ago, the Taliban were tormenting this lush valley just miles from the Afghan capital, kidnapping people and blocking the road.

All that changed when American troops arrived in February. They dropped from helicopters and set up three camps where there had been none, expecting a fight. Instead, the Taliban put up almost no resistance and left for other areas. Now trucks travel freely and merchants no longer fear for their lives.

Never before in history have terrorists posed such an unprecedented challenge to a President as this.

State Races

Even though the White House later denied it, we all knew that the 2009 gubernatorial elections were really just... a test for Obama:

WASHINGTON — President Obama has returned to the campaign trail. He is appearing in television advertisements in New Jersey this week on behalf of Gov. Jon S. Corzine, the embattled Democrat struggling to win a second term. And he campaigned on Thursday evening alongside R. Creigh Deeds, the candidate for governor fighting to keep Virginia in the Democratic column.

The New Jersey and Virginia races for governor are the only big-ticket political contests for 2009. And fairly or not — Mr. Obama’s advisers are not alone in arguing that the significance of these races does not extend beyond the boundaries of either state — the contests are being held up as an early measure of how Mr. Obama is doing and a predictor of how Democrats might fare in next year’s Congressional campaigns.

In the age of Obama, every election is a referendum... on Obama.

Vaccine Shortages

What else could a shortage of vaccines be than a test for Obama:

WASHINGTON — The moment a novel strain of swine flu emerged in Mexico last spring, President Obama instructed his top advisers that his administration would not be caught flat-footed in the event of a deadly pandemic. Now, despite months of planning and preparation, a vaccine shortage is threatening to undermine public confidence in government, creating a very public test of Mr. Obama’s competence.

The shortage, caused by delays in the vaccine manufacturing process, has put the president in exactly the situation he sought to avoid — one in which questions are being raised about the government’s response.

No word from our cheerleaders at the Times on when it was, exactly, that the President became responsible for manufacturing vaccines.

Accepting Peace Prizes

Clearly, it's a test for Obama:

WASHINGTON — He has read the Nobel speeches of Nelson Mandela, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Elie Wiesel. He has studied the award’s rich history and its extraordinary roster of winners.

Yet when President Obama travels to Norway to accept his prize on Thursday, he faces a far different challenge than those who have gone before him: He is a wartime leader, accepting a medal that is a commendation to peace, which even he insists he does not yet deserve.

Never has a man walked the earth that is as capable of reading the speeches of his predecessors as The One.