Obama Gets His Groove Back

By CHARLES M. BLOW
NYT

Where has this Obama been?

Since the State of the Union address, the president has been bounding about, displaying a new sense of vigor and confidence and a fighter’s spirit. He almost looks like the president people thought that he would be — a paladin, not a pacifist.

Last week, he provided a fascinating bit of political theater by toying with House Republicans at their own retreat, dismantling their arguments and disarming their charges. It was impressive. When they asked if he had time for more questions, he responded: “You know, I’m having fun.” Score.

At his New Hampshire town hall on Tuesday, Obama connected with a more colloquial tone, chiding Republicans for voting against the recovery act while glomming onto the glories of the projects it produced: “They found a way to have their cake and vote against it, too.” Score again.

His new persona comes as a welcome reprieve from a year in which he toddled about as if someone had slipped him an Ambien, taking punches and not returning them.

(More here.)