How Obama Can Get His Groove Back

Even with no real scandal and only one demonstrable policy blunder, the health-care rollout, President Barack Obama had a miserable 2013 as his public standing plummeted. History suggests it is tough for a second-term president to rebound. Here are five ways Obama could defy those odds.

-- Open up the wagons: Ingrained habits are hard to change, and the 52-year-old incumbent isn’t going to transform himself. Still, he may appreciate how much his insularity hurt him last year. Over the past month, there have been three important additions to the White House ranks: John Podesta, a former chief of staff in Bill Clinton’s administration, who, other than Jim Baker in Ronald Reagan’s administration, was the most effective occupant of that position; plus Phil Schiliro, as health-care adviser, and Katie Fallon, who starts as congressional liaison, both with considerable credibility.