Obama Will Learn From His Mistakes.

Washington's Answer To A Self-inflicted Financial Crisis Reminded Americans Why They So Deeply Distrust The Political Class. The 'fiscal Cliff' Process Was Secretive And Sloppy, And The Nation's So-called Leadership Lacked The Political Courage To Address Our Root Problems: Joblessness And Debt.

Don't Stigmatize In A Rush To Explain Inexplicable Evil.

Sitting In The Oval Office, Beneath A Painting Of George Washington, With A Bust Of Martin Luther King Jr. Over His Right Shoulder And A Bust Of Abraham Lincoln Over His Left Shoulder, Obama Told 'national Journal' That The Country's Economic Woes Are Deep And Endemic.

Shock, Confusion, Fear, Anger, Grief, And Defiance. On Sept. 11, 2001, And For The Three Days Following The Worst Terrorist Attack On U.s. Soil, President George W. Bush Led With Raw Emotion That Reflected The Public's Whipsawing Stages Of Acceptance.

American Exceptionalism Is The Recurring Character In The Nation's Narrative.