Clearly, the Obama presidency hasn't wiped out racial prejudices.

Obama shows no sign of easing up on negativity.

Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt faced adversities that, in their times, seemed impregnable. Great presidents overcome great odds.

Don't underestimate questions from the crowd; technology has made voters more informed than ever.

Palin seems to have forgotten that her poll ratings have plummeted since the summer of 2011.

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.

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.