The problem isn't that he can't veto everything, picking political fights is always an art form.
The problem is that his "new tone" effectively translates into he won't veto anything.
He hasn't used the veto once. Not once.
And the "new tone" non-confrontational theory appears to have extended all the way to the War on Terror. He is not engaged in a posse hunting down some bad guys out there -- he is face to face with a war of civilizations. And as much as he'd like to ignore that nasty boogeyman, it's staring him back in the face.
We need a War President, not a sheriff. He can look to Ariel Sharon for example, if he needs one.