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.

We're living in an era of unprecedented change, and I want to be a part of documenting it.

In times of tumult, voters are likely to forgive a president, if not reward him, for compromises made in service of solutions.

Washington's answer to a self-inflicted financial crisis reminded Americans why they so deeply distrust the political class. The 'fiscal cliff' process was secretive and sloppy, and the nation's so-called leadership lacked the political courage to address our root problems: joblessness and debt.

At his best, Obama promised to work with Republicans to reduce the deficit in a way that honors both individualism and community.

In Washington, compromise has become a dirty word.

American exceptionalism is the recurring character in the nation's narrative.