Obama's style shifts with task at hand

WASHINGTON -- His $787 billion economic stimulus package was under withering attack from Republicans in February when President Obama decided to take his case to the American people.

For four days, he darted from Indiana to Florida to Virginia to Illinois, touting road projects, electric grids and school renovations as the elixir for the ailing economy. At his final stop, he lauded freshman Republican Rep. Aaron Schock, who urged him to "do the right thing for the people of Peoria."

The next day, Congress approved the stimulus plan, Obama's signature achievement so far. But Schock voted no, as did every House Republican and all but three in the Senate.

"He was simply doing his job," the Illinois lawmaker says. "Simply put, the stimulus bill did not play in Peoria."

That week in February speaks volumes about Obama's nascent presidency as it nears the100-day mark: His even temper, persistence and rhetorical skills have combined to advance both his personal popularity and his far-flung ambitions. Yet he hasn't won over his detractors, who could still derail his agenda.

"Obama believes that rhetoric is power, and that a president has two purposes — to explain and persuade," says Stephen Wayne, a Georgetown University government professor who is writing a book on Obama's character. If threatened, "He'll take out the gloves and come out fighting — but his style is compromise."

Funny, yet firm, in private. Powerful, if not always persuasive, in public. Deliberate, almost to the point of appearing aloof, when making decisions. Willing to accept small steps without giving up on grand goals.

These are some of the images Obama has left on the world stage in his first three months on the job. He can be contemplative, alone at his Oval Office desk with his thoughts. He can be casual, entertaining House members and spouses in the Blue Room of the White House on Thursday night or rolling Easter eggs with children on the lawn last week. He can be inspiring, telling 20,000 cheering Czechs in Prague this month of his dream for "a world without nuclear weapons."