La Porte County Public Library System

As Barack Obama is sworn in for his second term, FRONTLINE takes a probing look at the first four years of his presidency. With inside accounts from his battles with his Republican opponents over health care and the economy to his dramatic expansion of targeted killings of enemies, FRONTLINE examines the president's key decisions and the experiences that will inform his second term.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proved himself a master of a new frontier - not on the battlefields of the Civil War, but in his high-tech command center: the War Department Telegraph Office. The internet of the 19th century, the telegraph gave Lincoln new powers to reshape leadership and wield personal control across distant battlefields. It also connected him to the country in new ways, as information poured in, and allowed him to feel the pulse of the...

He was bumbling, yet ambitious. He volunteered to serve his country, but insisted on being reimbursed for expenses. He owned five sets of dentures--even a set from pigs' teeth--but not one of them wooden. He was the most famous general of the Revolution, but a dismal tactician on the battelfield. His overall record was 3 wins, and 9 losses--but his retreat was brilliant. George Washington has been sculpted, painted, emulated and deified for more than...

In January 1961, a new generation in the guise of John F. Kennedy moved into the White House. All of a sudden politics were youthful, dynamic and sexy. During the brief period in which he was in office, the first pop star of politics accompanied America through the darkest days of the Cold War. At the same time, his signal to embark in new directions was eagerly welcomed by younger generations all around the world. Later on, Jackie Kennedy was to...