The President also took the initiative to lead by example in trying to break down some of the walls existing between the two political parties and also demonstrated his commitment to raising the level of ethical standards in government, such as through some of the rules he imposed on members of his White House staff pertaining to limitations on their subsequent employment options that presented conceivable potential conflicts of interest.

Leadership Characteristics

In some respects, the capitulation of President Obama to Republican demands demonstrate a lack of leadership, particularly where bipartisan support would not have been necessary, irrespective of the fact that bipartisanism may very well be desirable in principal.

To be fair, it is difficult to know with any certainty how...

Without the benefit of knowing the President's mind, it would seem that he may be relying too heavily on elements of charismatic leadership when the nation needs him to assert more control for the benefit of the people regardless of possible perceptions about giving up too soon on his pledge of bipartisanship. Finally, in some respects, the President's initial choices for several cabinet positions could also be ascribed to lack of leadership, only in that the President's commitment to ethics in government should have prevented the embarrassing nomination of individuals who had failed to pay federal taxes. Ultimately, the leader is responsible for ensuring against such failures.