Hmmm.
The article you linked to simply reaffirms my statement that Obama is a cowardly politician afraid to take a stand on controversial issues. Was that supposed to absolve Obama of voting "present" instead of taking a stand.
That article is typical NYT flim-flam, it assumes the reader isn't paying attention:
"Well yes, Obama didn't take a stand...but that's because the GOP wanted him to take a stand! So it's all ok now. Votes don't matter. Legislation doesn't matter. It's simply politics that matters."