being way over their skis once he came back and offered his to -- two cents. >> well, i'm sure there were conversations about this, which seemed like an impromptu decision to come back. and i doubt that he had prepped to talk about this. but certainly we have seen, time and again, especially in recent weeks, this president doing things his way. i mean, we have heard from a lot of folks inside the white house. he is feeling increasingly confident that he is the best person to decide how he speaks, his decision making on policy, on hiring, and we are really seeing sort of an emboldened president or as some people say, an unshackled president, perhaps, trying to do things his way. >> unshackled is the word sarah palin used when the 2008 campaign ended. so it elicits all sorts of reactions in me. but barbara mcquade, let me ask you about an unshackled