In my capacity as research director of the Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, which I founded in 1999, I published two opinion columns in the St. Cloud Times in which I provided an analysis of my primary concerns regarding the personality-based limitations of prospective Obama and McCain presidencies.

Sen. Barack Obama: Is He Tough Enough?
By Aubrey Immelman
St. Cloud Times
November 1, 2008

Among the many leaders I have studied — presidential candidates as well as foreign adversaries as a consultant to the U.S. military — Barack Obama is something of a rarity. … Read more

Update: Below is a permanent link to the original manuscript of the above op-ed column on the USPP website.

Barack Obama: A Question of Toughness

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Related reports on this site

Barack Obama’s Presidential Leadership Style

Barack Obama’s Leadership Style

A Key to Success for Obama?

Obama’s Decision-Making Style

Sen. John McCain: Anger Issues Matter
By Aubrey Immelman
St. Cloud Times
November 1, 2008

As John McCain tries to close the gap with Barack Obama, his task is to convince the American people that hes the right man to lead the nation at a time when America faces daunting economic challenges at home and urgent national security threats abroad. … Read more

Update: Below is a permanent link to the original manuscript of the above op-ed column on the USPP website.

John McCain: A Question of Temperament

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Disclaimer: The Unit for the Study of Personality, an academic student-faculty collaborative research project directed by Aubrey Immelman, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, is operated for research and educational purposes only. The Unit does not advocate the support or defeat of any candidate for any political office. Political analysis published by the director or research associates of the Unit is the personal opinion of those individuals. The mission of the Unit is to conduct psychological assessments of candidates for public office and to disseminate the findings to professionals, the media, and the voting public.

Update: Full research reports

The Political Personality of U.S. President Barack Obama. Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, San Francisco, CA, July 7–10, 2010. Abstract and link for full-text (19 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/25/

Presenter Aubrey Immelman and discussant Peter Suedfeld (Photo: Irina Rogozar-Kolpakova)

The Political Personality of 2008 Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain. Research report, Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, September 2008. Abstract and link for full-text (26 pages; PDF) download at Digital Commons: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/psychology_pubs/115/

Related colloquia

The Psychological Profiles of the Top-Tier Republican and Democratic Candidates for President. Forum presentation by Aubrey Immelman, December 14, 2007. Forum Lectures, 249. Retrieved from Digital Commons website: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/forum_lectures/249/

The Psychological Profiles of Presidential Candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. Forum presentation by Aubrey Immelman, October 31, 2008. Forum Lectures, 231. Retrieved from Digital Commons website: http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/forum_lectures/231/

Update: August  25, 2018

Sen. John McCain dead at 81

Obituary

IRAQ UPDATE

Security Developments in Iraq

Following are security developments in Iraq on Nov. 2, 2008 as reported by Reuters.

ANBAR PROVINCE – Police said they found the bodies of four men in a deserted area near Rutba in Anbar province, 225 miles, west of Baghdad.

MOSUL – A roadside bomb killed two soldiers when it struck their patrol in southeastern Mosul, police said.

NASSIRIYA – U.S. troops captured six militants on Sunday in Nassiriya, 185 miles southeast of Baghdad, the military said. It described the militants as belonging to a network funded and trained by Iran’s Quds Force.

MOSUL – Gunmen killed a civilian in a drive-by shooting in western Mosul, police said.

KIRKUK – A roadside bomb killed two children and wounded a third in central Kirkuk, 155 miles north of Baghdad, police said.

BAGHDAD – A roadside bomb killed one policeman and wounded three others when it hit their patrol in the Kamaliya district, eastern Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL – A suicide car bomb targeting a police patrol wounded one policeman on Saturday in western Mosul, 240 miles north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL – A roadside bomb wounded two Iraqi soldiers on patrol in eastern Mosul on Saturday, police said.

MOSUL – Gunmen wounded one Iraqi soldier and one woman in an attack on a military checkpoint in eastern Mosul on Saturday, police said.

HILLA – Police found the body of a man bearing stab wounds in central Hilla, 60 miles south of Baghdad, on Saturday, police said.

HAWIJA – A roadside bomb wounded three people, including one woman, when it struck their vehicle in central Hawija, 130 miles north of Baghdad, police said.