Michael Beschloss on presidential second terms

What is it about Presidential Second Terms? Just 11 months into Obama Term 2, he seems to have fallen into the same trap as many of his predecessors. Each of the last four two-term Presidents – Bush, Clinton, Reagan and Nixon – had extremely difficult second terms: Each with different circumstances and outcomes. And they weren’t the first. Why are second terms so difficult? Do they have to be? And are there any lessons President Obama can take from history to make the rest of his time just a bit easier? Earlier I spoke with Michael Beschloss, Presidential Historian, author, Contributor to PBS NewsHour & NBC News about the 50th Anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination. It was a terrific conversation. But I also wanted to ask him to help put current times into perspective – to help us understand what makes second terms so challenging.