Did Luke Kenley just compliment Barack Obama?

Luke Kenley, longtime state senator from Noblesville and staunch Republican, was quoted as thus in the Indianapolis Star by conservative mouthpiece Tim Swarens:

In 2008, when the Great Recession hit, the state was sitting atop healthy budget reserves. Then the nose dive began. "We burned through about $2 billion in 18 months," Kenley said. "It was the federal stimulus that helped us avoid deeper cuts to education."

You tell me.