Richard Nixon

No president in history has been more vilified or was more vilified during the time he was President than Lincoln. Those who knew him, his secretaries, have written that he was deeply hurt by what was said about him and drawn about him, but on the other hand, Lincoln had the great strength of character never to display it, always able to stand tall and strong and firm no matter how harsh or unfair the criticism might be. These elements of greatness, of course, inspire us all today. Richard Nixon

How we handle criticism says a lot about us. The Marine Corps taught me how to deal with stress and criticism. It's not easy. Sometimes we let ourselves down and over-react to criticism. Certainly Presidents such as Lincoln, Nixon, and Bush had to deal with extreme personal criticism. You can see the strain in their portraits throughout their Presidencies. President Obama's ability to handle criticism in a graceful manner will tell more about his character and leadership than anything else. It will be interesting to see how he grows into the office.