Obama shows he's no lame duck after election defeats

The prospect of a White House facing a hostile majority in both houses of Congress, seemingly diminished by the need for compromise with opponents to get anything done, is unappealing to both America's friends and those who believe a strong US presidency is important to maintaining stability in a troubled world.

But whoever said the US now has a crippled Democratic presidency after the midterm elections have received some sharp reminders that Barack Obama will still be mindful of his legacy in the remaining two years of his term in office.

Less than a month after the election rout of his Democratic Party, Obama has concluded a historic carbon emissions reduction agreement with President Xi Jinping , issued a controversial executive order that will lift the threat of immediate deportation from nearly five million long-term illegal immigrants and allow them to work, and fired his defence secretary in a bid to bring more coherence to US foreign policy.

The last-named change at the top is another story, but the climate pact and immigration reform show there is still life in a lame-duck presidency. Along with health care reform, gun control and gay rights, they are the issues that most divide America under his presidency.

Evidence of that is the angry reaction of opponents to executive immigration measures that test the limits of presidential power. Republicans condemned them as illegal and declared an end to hopes of bipartisan support for reform. Hopefully decency and compassion will persuade them otherwise. The US has too much to lose from negative partisanship in Obama's last two years.

The main beneficiaries are otherwise law-abiding illegals who have been in America for more than five years whose children are citizens or lawful residents. Bringing them in from the cold will free up enforcement resources for redeployment against real border threats to America's security.