2010 Rewind: Moments that Marked Obama's Second Year in Office

Here are some of the key moments that marked President Obama's second year in office. By no means an exhaustive list, it still gives perspective on some of the political markers of Obama's year.

Obama's 2010 moments

January 17: Campaigns for Martha Coakley who ended up in a surprisingly close race to fill the late Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat.

January 27: Obama delivers his first state of the union address (2009 was an address to the nation since he had just taken office).

February 25: Holds bipartisan televised health care summit at the White House.March 12: Delays trip to Indonesia because of health care fight.

March 23: Signs health care bill.

March 28: Obama makes a surprise trip to Afghanistan.

April 20: BP Oil Spill crisis begins after explosion at oil well off the Gulf of Mexico (gets "capped" in July).

May 2: Obama makes first trip to the Gulf Coast region.

May 10: Nominates Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court.

June 4: Obama scraps his trip abroad because of BP oil spill.

August 14: Obama vacations in Florida, after he and the first family had urged everyone else to continuevacationing down there. The first family spent a weekend there before heading to Martha's Vineyard for their regularly scheduled two-week vacation.

August 17: Obama engages in backyard listening tours, kicking off with an event in Columbus, Ohio.

August 31: Gives major speech on status of operations in Iraq, this was his first Oval office address since taking office.

October 15: Begins campaign swing through Democratic friendly states starting off in Wilmington, DE.

October 17: Obama holds a campaign event at The Ohio University in Columbus, his 11th stop to the state of the year, and the largest rally of his presidency.

November 2: Suffers "shellacking" in the midterm elections with GOP sweeping the House with historic gains.

November 4: Goes on 10-day trip to Asia, finally making it abroad after canceling his two previous foreign trips planned.

November 26: Obama busts his lip playing basketball and needs stitches.

December 3: Goes to Afghanistan on surprise trip to address the troops, nearly a year after announcing his surge strategy in Afghanistan.

December 10:Bill Clinton meets with Obama in the Oval Office, and then two decide to give an impromptu presser in the White House Briefing room.

December 17: Signs tax rate legislation extending the Bush-era tax rates for two years.

December 21: Signs Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal.

December 22: Holds a press conference before leaving Washington for Hawaiian Christmas vacation after delaying the trip waiting on Congress to wrap up legislation including a nuclear arms treaty and repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.