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The world's watching our historic presidential race and how Americans will choose. So what makes a good president? One top expert on the modern presidency, Fred I. Greenstein, lists leadership qualities that he concludes make for success or failure in the Oval Office. And he warns we should beware the presidential contender who lacks one particular attribute on his list, "for in its absence all else may turn to ashes." Have a read. Explore as well how other top historians rate what makes a good president.

Our sister series, FRONTLINE/World, has launched its Election 2008 portal, The World Is Watching. You might want to start exploring by viewing reports from countries at the forefront of America's foreign policy hot spots: "Voices of Kabul" and "Iran: Views from the Streets of Tehran and Qom."

FRONTLINE is on summer break, but returns in October with a new roster of programs and investigations. Here are previews of the first two:

The Choice 2008

A two-hour examination of the rich personal and political biographies of John McCain and Barack Obama that goes behind the headlines to discover how they arrived at this moment and what their very different candidacies say about America.

Heat

Facing rising pressures, big business is reshaping its approach to the environment. Producer Martin Smith investigates what some businesses are doing to fend off new regulations and how others are repositioning themselves to prosper in a radically changed world.

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Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Major funding is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation.