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.

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

Obama is capable - as evidenced by his first-term success with health care reform. But mandate-building requires humility, a trait not easily associated with him.

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

Obama won the presidency on the strength of his message and the skills of the messenger. Now the talk of hope and change feels out of tune when so many Americans are out of work, over-mortgaged, and worried that life will be even tougher for their children.

The fact that Obama is getting criticism from the left and the right might reflect his understanding of the underlying political dynamics.

Don't stigmatize in a rush to explain inexplicable evil.