I can tell you if we don't see more than rhetoric, this leadership team is not secure.

The leadership structure has evolved with earmarks and leadership PACs where [the result is that] leadership is far too powerful. The rest of our colleagues share that view. To the extent we can continue to highlight that, [it] may serve some purpose.

It's more than likely there will be leadership elections in January. We don't want to go into an election year without a permanent majority leader.

The author's alliterative description of politics since the 1960 presidential debates: "Government by Gotcha".

Leadership meant knowing how to distill complexity into a comprehensible message to reach the hearts as well as the minds of the larger world.

Must, never, must avoid, must guard: the minatory commands came the eleven times (from the departing Eisenhower). In contrast, Kennedy's rhetoric on January 20 with a cascade of permissions: the word "let" rang out 14 times.