Here are pertinent observations from two accomplished political veterans at a forum Tuesday night at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The question, from David Gergen, was what advice the panelists, former Reagan advisor Ken Duberstein and former JFK advisor Ted Sorensen, both of whom had been supportive of Mr. Obama in 2008—Mr. Sorensen campaigned with him in the primaries and the general election—would now give the president.

Mr. Duberstein said, "Don't overload the circuits," sequence your actions, don't attempt...