ANALYSIS
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No-Shock Barack Aces Day 100 Presser
From swine flu to torture, Obama stayed focused and calm
By Jason Farago
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Posted Apr 30, 09 6:50 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Barack Obama's 100th-day press conference last night was a "schizophrenic affair," writes Mike Madden in Salon, with the president fielding questions on everything from swine flu to torture to the intricacies of running a profitable car company. On every issue, Obama stuck to the "loose, easy style" that marked his campaign. As the world panicked about a possible flu pandemic, the president once again played it calm—sounding a bit like "the pediatrician in chief."
Throughout day 100 Obama stuck to one message: that he and his team were hard at work fixing Bush-era problems, primarily the economy. But it was style as much as substance that was on display last night: "a calm president, coolly giving the appearance that he would help the country recover from the state it's in." It might not have been a great change from earlier pressers, Madden admits, but it was "probably exactly what the White House wanted."