White House operatives went to great lengths to show Obama shifting focus from wars abroad to domestic issues at home.

Historians will likely give Obama credit for steering the country away from the brink of economic collapse in 2009.

At the start of his second term, one wonders less about Obama's fitness than his willingness: Why doesn't he do more to build and maintain the relationships required to govern in era of polarization?

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

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.

White House operatives went to great lengths to show Obama shifting focus from wars abroad to domestic issues at home.

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