President Ford was a devoted decent man of impeccable integrity who put service to his country before his own self interest. He helped heal our nation during a time of crisis provided steady leadership and restored people's faith in the presidency and in government.

Within the U.S. the Obama presidency will be mainly measured by the success or failure of his economic policies. And here I fear the monstrous stimulus package with which this administration stumbled out of the gate will prove to be Obama's Waterloo.

We certainly want those at the top to do well but if you base your entire presidency and your entire economic platform on helping them do even better you're missing what makes the economy tick. Because not everyone has been as fortunate as Mitt Romney you cannot base your whole approach on a life experience as rarified as his.

I believe history will come to view 9/11 as an event on par with November 22 1963 the date on which John F. Kennedy was murdered cutting short a presidency that was growing ever more promising. Dreams died that day in Dallas it is easy to imagine the 1960s turning out rather differently had President Kennedy lived.

It has been my honor to support and work with President Barack Obama a man who has brought courage and character to the presidency. President Obama's strength of character leads him to do the right thing even when it isn't the easy thing.

Obama won the presidency on the strength of his message and the skills of the messenger. Now the talk of hope and change feels out of tune when so many Americans are out of work over-mortgaged and worried that life will be even tougher for their children.

Millions of young Americans have graduated from college during the Obama presidency ready to use their gifts and get moving in life. Half of them can't find the work they studied for or any work at all. So here's the question: Without a change in leadership why would the next four years be any different from the last four years?

Unless and until Barack Obama addresses the full depth of Americans' anger with his full arsenal of policy smarts and political gifts his presidency and worse our economy will be paralyzed.

Former President Bill Clinton who is widely regarded as a political mastermind may have sounded like a traditional liberal at the beginning of his term in office. But what ultimately defined his presidency was his amazing pliability on matters of principle.