He'll probably send a Secret Service agent to comb through my sock drawer for saying this, but President Barack Obama's ears are looking a little smaller these days. That's because his head is just a tad bit bigger after his victory on health care reform - and it should be.

President Obama was able to accomplish what several presidents before him could not: A sweeping change to our nation's health care system. I don't like all of it, including the lack of a public option and some of the pork that probably slipped in to the bill, but it's better than doing nothing and maintaining the status quo.

And despite all the talk about Democrats losing seats in the mid-term elections because of this vote, some think Obama comes out of this victory as a stronger president.The Associated Press writes:

Despite the year of caustic debate, Obama emerges with a stronger hand. He's moved on from Phase One of his presidency - stalled. Now he's on to Phase Two - buoyed.

The cliffhanger House vote that approved the overhaul is one of those presidential achievements with multiple side benefits: fresh clout in a capital that worships winners, bragging rights on a key promise kept, and a history-making, country-changing one at that, praise for presidential perseverance against daunting odds, a respite from talk of a mired presidency.

It was news so good that Obama invited dozens of aides to the Truman Balcony for an after-midnight champagne celebration. Senior adviser David Axelrod said Obama was the happiest he'd seen his boss since Election Night when he won the White House - perhaps even happier. "Elections just give you the chance to do things," Axelrod recalled a jubilant Obama saying. "This is the real thing."

Whatever happens in November or during Obama's run for re-election, the bill is a moral victory. Despite the push-back from Republicans and the insurance industry, the president pushed ahead with something that he promised to do and that he felt was right. One of the main reasons for the push was the number of Americans without health coverage and the havoc that was causing in people's lives. Bankruptcy, premature death and a life filled with worry are just a few of the symptoms ailing those without health coverage.

The bill's passage also gives the President momentum to push on other issues, such as gays in the military, global warming, nuclear disarmament and tougher financial regulation. Jobs, jobs and more jobs should also fill Democrats' plates. The Republican strategy of voting no in a solid block could backfire. While not everyone agrees about the benefits of the bill, getting paid to stand on the sidelines is not why we elect our representatives.

There are tough times ahead for sure. "Even those measures are tough lifts, though, with potentially large partisan opposition. And with the November elections looming, the window for congressional action on anything, much less something else big and controversial, is fast closing," the AP writes.

But this victory has more upside than not. I just hope the president's ears start looking oversized again pretty quickly.