Except, coinciding with this decline, Bush dropped the dead-or-alive approach to terrorists and their state sponsors during his second term, and soft-pedaled the democratization push.

FORBES: Freedom Beats A Global Retreat

Nolen and Russell have soft-pedaled this aspect of the role.

WSJ: Putting the Punch in Punch-Line | Neil Simon | Laughter on the 23rd Floor | Mad Cow Theatre | Review by Terry Teachout

Only in December when Obama the Compromiser stopped bashing Wall Street (which was willing to accept new regulation for its self-admitted lax oversight of Collateralized Debt Obligations, or CDOs), and soft-pedaled his tax increase insanity, did this economy move again in earnest.

FORBES: Is Obama About to Demagogue the U.S. Into Default?