Everyone knows presidents have larger-than-life size egos. It goes with the job. But changes on the official White House website reveal that we've never had a self-regarding narcissist quite like the oval Office's current occupant.

This is no time for conciliation. Wars happens neither because America talks tough nor because the White House makes it clear that it will spare no effort to defend its allies against external threats.

Pundits have lately been comparing Barack Obama to Jimmy Carter, suggesting he is a likely loser in 2012. It's always helpful to be reminded that early polls may not be predictive and that opinion can change, as was the case when Truman won in 1948 and when Carter lost in 1980. But we should also keep in mind that today's polls are better and more frequent than they were 63 years ago.

The cost of the Iraq war was high. Almost 4,500 American servicemen and women died, and many more were injured. American taxpayers paid billions of dollars. Was the Iraq war worth it? Yes.

With an economy seemingly on the precipice of a renewed recession, an angry conservative movement, and a disillusioned liberal base disappointed in his first term, Barack Obama's bid for reelection next year will, by all indications, be a tough, maybe even uphill fight. But the President can at least take some solace in a precedent from 64 years ago: Harry Truman's campaign for reelection in 1948.

A fundamental question for those Republicans campaigning to replace Barack Obama as commander-in-chief and, as Harry Truman might have put it, as “leader of the free world,” is how they intend to restore American greatness in a troubled time.

Barack Obama's 17-minute video "The Road We've Traveled" gives us an idea of how he wants to frame the issues in the fall election. The visuals are oddly antique for a president who promised hope and change.

Liberals and libertarians may vilify President Bush and Vice President Cheney, but dictators and terrorists now think twice about attacking the United States. Killing Americans again has a cost.