Max Fisher at Vox World has a thought-provoking article about The best articulation yet of how President Obama sees the world in which Obama is viewed as a pragmatic "Hobbesian optimist" who sees a long-term "arc of history" in America's favor in spite of many short-term negative issues.
We link to the article because it deals with a critical point of politics and not because we agree fully with either Fisher's analysis or Obama's leadership.
In examining political questions, there is of course always a significant difference in the handling of short-term problems as opposed to the pursuit of longer-term objectives. These can be critical for a President's sense of leadership and his decision-making regarding current problems.