Last week I wrote about the standings in the presidential race and said it looked like a long, hard slog through about a dozen clearly identified target states, much like the contests in 2000 and 2004. Call it the 2000/2004 long, hard slog scenario.

Past presidents who sought reelection and won (Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and G.W. Bush) gave upbeat, forward-looking State of the Union addresses in their election years and had generally solid ratings.

The world is becoming increasingly scary at the very time that the military will be facing 20% reductions. With each passing day, the world closes in; with each passing day, our ability to manage that world degrades.

Just when the mainstream media thought that Barack Obama was pulling ahead in the polls, with positive job ratings, and just after the media have been savaging Republicans for two words Rush Limbaugh uttered on his radio program, Obama's numbers seem to be tanking.

Polls show Americans have a high opinion of Michelle Obama and the way she handles both her personal and public responsibilities.

Republication senators have found a new friend during judicial confirmations: the American Bar Association.

George W. Bush's presidency is drawing to an end in a diminuendo that may someday boost his historical standing.

With the benefit of hindsight, it seems that our leaders, in both the Bush and the Obama administrations, responded to crises and challenges all too often with measures that attempted to revive the old pre-financial crisis economy rather than with policies that would allow a new economy to grow.