While Republican voters have remained universally supportive of their President, Democrats and Independents are returning to a more naturally critical stance.

Mandates are not objective realities but subjective interpretations of elections sold successfully by the winning candidate or party.

First, his job approval ratings have been trending down for many months, a trend that has accelerated in recent weeks as the war on terrorism has been supplanted in the public's mind by corporate scandals, stock market declines, and a growing sense of economic insecurity.

In addition to the decline in competition, American politics today is characterized by a growing ideological polarization between the two major political parties.

Polite and velvety leaders, who take care to avoid bruising others, are generally not as effective at forcing change.

I'm terrified at the prospect of Donald Trump becoming president. I think he's disgusting, he's offensive. I think that it would be embarrassing for our country to have him sit down with world leaders and try and have a conference or even take a photo op. So we'll see what happens, but it's a very pivotal time in the U.S.

You're well-spoken, or you're very analytical, or you're a great team-builder, or you're great with relationships... Playing to your strengths is always something good to build on because you're trying to develop a foundation to keep growing, as a professional and as a leader.

Engaging in a sycophantic way with any politician in the short term is tempting. It offers the lure of access and the promise of influence. But ultimately, it can lead to misreading the environment, giving too much of an ear to the politician's circle, and confining your audience to partisans.