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The calm and coolly
articulate man once dubbed ‘No Drama Obama’ chose some surprising
profanity this week to demonstrate a different side of his personality.

Facing criticism
that he hasn’t been involved or emotional enough about the oil leak
that is now the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, President
Barack Obama insisted that he’s working closely with experts on a very
particular goal.

“We talk to these
folks because they potentially have the best answers,” he told our
colleagues at NBC News, “so I know whose ass to kick.” Obama may be
angry the same way that millions of Americans are. An oil-rig accident
that started out bad – with the deaths of 11 workers – has gotten much
worse. It’s become a national catastrophe and media obsession that’s
dragged on for nearly two months.

Polls suggest it’s also now a political problem for the president and that may be a factor in his show of anger as well.

After the
infamously slow emergency effort that followed Hurricane Katrina in
2005, an ABC News/Washington Post poll that found 62 per cent of
respondents thought poorly of the Bush administration’s response.

The same poll now
finds that even more Americans – 69 per cent – have a negative opinion
of the Obama administration’s work since the spill.

There may be something larger happening too.

Americans felt optimistic when they elected Obama president more than a year and a half ago.

Now, under the
pressure of a still sluggish economy and stubbornly high unemployment,
Americans tell pollsters they are angry about the state of the country.
Is it a coincidence that the president’s own persona is beginning to
reflect that?

Obama is not
turning into a ranting populist railing against the oil industry. But
America’s sour mood is being darkened further by the oil coming ashore
on its south coast.

The president clearly doesn’t want to look too cheerful about the challenge.