And just I have my own little praise party every morning while I'm getting ready and that way I can walk in here and hopefully have the right light, the right energy to inspire everybody else to go out and do the work we have to do.

NPR: 4 min 29 sec

He did though go out of his way to praise his party for their resilience and grace under fire.

BBC: Lib Dem conference: Clegg keeps it lean

That is despite praise across party lines for the excellent Doug Holtz-Eakin, Mr McCain's most prominent economic adviser and a former head of the Congressional Budget Office.

ECONOMIST: The Economist's poll of economists

As for the Liberal Democrats (despite their silly claim to be the main party of opposition), they praise the government for adopting their own tax-and-spend agenda.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

But the party denies it has Islamist designs and has won praise abroad for its liberal economic policies and its efforts to steer Turkey towards EU entry.

BBC: NEWS | Europe | Turkey's Gul hints at presidency

Today's Conservative leadership have used this week to praise Lady Thatcher but also to bury the idea that all their party needs is a revival of her ideas and her style of leadership.

BBC: Are we all Thatcherites now?

He made an appeal across party lines by stressing his ability to work with Democrats among lawmakers and heaping praise on the late lieutenant governor of Texas, Bob Bullock, who shepherded many of Bush's proposals through the state Senate.

CNN: 'The night is passing,' Bush says