If things get bad enough for Obama, maybe he'll do something really crazy like follow Beinart's advice.

WSJ: Best of the Web Today: The Dog Whistler

If things get really bad, Perez could tumble off The Forbes 400, which he joined three years ago.

FORBES: Latino Connection

He was almost physically incapable, it seemed, of telling voters that things were bad and would get worse if they did not make sacrifices.

ECONOMIST: The Italian crisis

Ken Rogoff happily offered the world a signpost: Things are bad yes, but if you can get government debt below 90% you have a chance.

FORBES: Reinhart and Rogoff; and The Dangers of Tipping Points, Real and Otherwise

If the West were not available to them, things would get bad for a while.

FORBES: Iraq: The Oil, C'est Moi

And if you left your employer on bad terms, things could get really nasty.

FORBES: 401(k)s: Far More Dangerous Than IRAs (March 2, 2001)

"If you can't address the bad news and get things back on course, it erodes your credibility as a leader, " says Wendy Alfus-Rothman, president of Wenroth Consulting Inc.

WSJ: For Some Bosses, Tough Love Isn't Easy to Give