What if our political leaders started talking to us as if we were grownups? That depends on who you ask. America's top political consultants tell their candidates that honest, realistic talk -- talk that sidesteps the good old smiley-faced clichés, that reflects some of the complexities of today's issues, that holds voters accountable for their own actions and decisions instead of automatically praising them -- will buy them nothing but heartburn on the campaign trail and a one-way ticket back to private life. In this collection of provocative speeches that high-priced consultants would call politically suicidal, Jeff Golden challenges that "realistic" cynicism head on. We are more than ready for leadership that treats us like responsible adults, he says. We are hindering for it.