Factbox: Promises, promises: How Obama has fared

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama was elected on a campaign pledge of sweeping change in U.S. policies at home and abroad.

A year after taking office, some promises have been kept, others broken and still others subjected to compromise or delay. Here is a look at how he has fared and what's next:

ECONOMIC RECOVERY AS TOP PRIORITY

Obama's biggest promise was to make rescuing the economy his top priority. He has done so with mixed or inconclusive results so far. He implemented a $787 billion stimulus he said was needed to jolt the country out of recession but which Republicans said was larded with too much spending. The economy is growing again but job losses persist, with unemployment at 10 percent. He is now vowing to spur job creation. Whether he succeeds or fails could determine his political future.

A Wall Street bailout is credited with helping avert a collapse. But a promised financial regulatory overhaul faces obstacles in Congress. While Obama has been lauded for acting to defuse the crisis, critics fault him for tackling healthcare and climate change instead of keeping the focus on the economy.

OVERHAUL HEALTHCARE

Obama's goal of getting a healthcare bill to his desk by the end of 2009 proved overly ambitious, but Congress is edging closer to legislation to meet one of his biggest promises. It could happen before Obama's State of the Union speech.

Still, some of Obama's own supporters are disappointed. Liberals wanted a government insurance option and moderates are wary of the cost of reform. No matter, Obama would make history if he signs into law the biggest change in healthcare since the 1965 creation of the Medicare program for the elderly.

FORGE NEW WAR STRATEGY

Holding to his promise to shift focus from Iraq, Obama has pivoted to Afghanistan -- but at a cost. He decided in December to boost troop levels there by 30,000 after lengthy deliberations that critics called dithering.

Now it's Obama's war. The problem is polls show public support has waned as U.S. casualties have increased, and some of Obama's fellow Democrats are balking at the buildup.

Candidate Obama pledged to withdraw all U.S. combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. He will come close if he sticks to the August 2010 deadline he set as president.

TALK TO ENEMIES

Obama pledged to seek engagement with U.S. foes, breaking with the isolation policy of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Obama made overtures to Iran but it remains defiant over its nuclear program. He also has little to show for outreach to North Korea. He lifted key restrictions on Americans with families in Cuba, but Havana has given little in return.

Critics say such gestures signal U.S. weakness, but aides insist it has been important to improve the tone of U.S. foreign policy. The White House says it will give Obama greater international leverage if he seeks further sanctions on Tehran this year.

CLOSE GUANTANAMO PRISON, FIX IMAGE ABROAD

Obama will miss his one-year deadline to close the internationally condemned military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a promise stalled by political and legal complications.

But that effort plus his ban on harsh interrogation of foreign terrorism suspects have helped repair some of the damage done to America's international image under Bush.

He kept his pledge to reach out in a major speech to the Muslim world. But many Muslims are disappointed he has not done more to push Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Obama's popularity abroad remains high. Consider he won the Nobel Peace Prize without any major foreign policy success. But critics at home say he hurts Washington's stature by admitting past mistakes.

MORE TRANSPARENCY, BIPARTISAN COOPERATION

Obama, after accusing the Bush administration of being overly secretive, pledged greater transparency. He did order more openness and tighter limits on lobbyists and held a few televised issue-specific "summits" at the White House.

But much has been made of Obama's failure to keep his campaign pledge to have healthcare negotiations broadcast live on C-SPAN. The White House press corps has complained that Obama has not held a full-scale press conference since July.

Obama has also faced criticism for allowing exceptions to his promised ban on lobbyists serving in his administration.

He recently acknowledged regret at failing to bridge the bitter divide between Republicans and his fellow Democrats.

KEEP AMERICANS SAFE

Although no major attack has been carried out successfully on U.S. territory since Obama took office, an attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner came close.

The failed bombing drew criticism from Republicans that Obama's counterterrorism policy was inadequate to keep Americans safe, as he had cited repeatedly as his highest priority.

That has resulted in Obama taking responsibility for the intelligence and security lapses that led to the Christmas incident and promising new reforms to prevent a repeat.

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP IN FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE

Obama had promised to make the United States a leader in the fight against global warming, in contrast to Bush's more reluctant approach.

He helped broker a nonbinding international pact in Copenhagen in December and now faces an uphill fight to get the Senate to pass a law to cut carbon pollution at home while opponents argue that caps would hurt the U.S. economy. His stewardship will help determine whether a binding U.N. climate pact can be reached in 2010 after Copenhagen fell short.

OTHER PROMISES

* No tax hike for anyone earning under $250,000: Obama has kept this pledge, but political analysts say it could be tested as he faces greater pressure over record budget deficits.

* Lift Bush-era restrictions on stem-cell research: Obama moved to ease such limits within months of taking office.

* Repeal "Don't ask, Don't Tell" rule for gays in the military: Although the White House has said it remains Obama's goal, he has yet to make a move.

* Work for immigration reform: This issue is stalled as Obama grapples with bigger items. He has said, however, he wants to tackle it in early 2010.

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Alan Elsner)