President George W. Bush Won Reelection In

Obama Still Has Work To Do With The Vision Thing. Convincing Voters That He Has A Credible, Practical Plan To Turn The Nation Around Is A Process, Not A Speech.

Obama Might Do Well To Remember That His Fast Rise From The Illinois State Senate Was Due In Large Part To An Uncanny Ability To Make Friends And Find Mentors.

Barack Obama Won A Second Term But No Mandate. Thanks In Part To His Own Small-bore And Brutish Campaign, Victory Guarantees The President Nothing More Than The Headache Of Building Consensus In A Gridlocked Capital On Behalf Of A Polarized Public.

It's A Deft Trick To Turn American Exceptionalism Into An Exceptional Political Tactic.

In Times Of Tumult, Voters Are Likely To Forgive A President, If Not Reward Him, For Compromises Made In Service Of Solutions.