According to a Public Policy Polling survey, most Americans find lice and colonoscopies more appealing than Capitol Hill.

Political consultants are pugilists, masters in the dark art of negativity. Which is why it's surprising to hear Democrats such as Steve McMahon and Republicans like Rich Galen urging their presidential candidates to be more, well, positive.

Obama considers himself above deal-making and back-slapping, political necessities he often delegates to Vice President Joe Biden and other lesser sorts.

If acknowledging that racial misgivings and misunderstandings are still a part of politics and life in America, I plead guilty.

A presidential debate is a job interview. And voters look for certain traits in people applying to be president.

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.

A dose of humility goes a long way in life and in politics.