I'm Hearing Echoes Of Bill Clinton, Circa

At His Best, Obama Promised To Work With Republicans To Reduce The Deficit In A Way That Honors Both Individualism And Community.

American Exceptionalism Is The Recurring Character In The Nation's Narrative.

For A Man Who Has Compared Himself To Theodore Roosevelt And The Nation's Challenges To Those Of The Gilded Age, Obama Put Forward A Tepid Agenda.

President Obama Is Casting His Lot In The Middle Of A Debate As Old As America Itself: Are We Rugged Individualists Pulling Ourselves Up By The Bootstraps? Or Are We A Nation Of Community, All Connected And Counting On One Another?

It's An Appeal As Old As America And Its Presidency: This Is An Extraordinary Country Populated By Hard-working, Big-dreaming, Freedom-loving People Graced By God When They're Not Pulling Themselves Up By The Bootstraps.