One of the attractions of Obama in 2008 was his tone and countenance, his willingness to engage seriously in the issues and toss out the bitter and brittle politics of all. He said we should "resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long." And millions of Americans were proud to support such a man. But then something happened to the Obama presidency, something very...