TEMPER, TEMPER, TEMPER

Posted at 9:41 p.m. ET

I personally find this story very distressing.  One of the things some reporters noticed during the campaign was that Barack Obama did not do well under pressure.  He seemed to get testy, even rude.  You think about that when you realize the kind of crises he may have to face.

The problem has resurfaced.  I get the feeling that some in the press, no matter how in the tank their organizations may be for Obama, are not pleased by what they see.  The Politico reports:

HONOLULU – The media glare, the constant security appendage and the sheer production that has become a morning jog or a hankering for an ice cream cone – it’s been closing in on Barack Obama for some time...

...Obama even took the unusual step Friday morning of leaving behind the pool of reporters assigned to follow him, taking his daughters to a nearby water park without them. It was a breach of longstanding protocol between presidents (or presidents-elect) and the media, that a gaggle of reporters representing television, print and wire services is with his motorcade at all times.

Not exactly a good start for a "transparent" presidency.

After ordering a tuna melt on 12-grain bread, Obama approached reporters and placed his hand on the shoulder of pool reporter Philip Rucker of The Washington Post, who was scribbling away in his notebook.

“You don't really need to write all that down,” Obama said.

Whoops.  The reporter determines that, Mr. President-elect, not the person being covered.

All presidents and would-be presidents struggle with “the bubble” – the security detail and the always-there reporters that impose barriers to any spontaneous interaction with the outside world.

But Obama seems to be struggling particularly hard, particularly early.

Wait 'til he has to deal with the Arabs and Israelis.

Four years ago Obama was an Illinois state senator who was on his way to the U.S. Senate. Next month, he will become one of only a handful of modern presidents who has not endured a similar bubble as a governor or top U.S. official before taking office.

Hmm.  The experience thing.  Not relevant, not relevant.

And even though the pool photographers remained out of sight and without an image of these private moments, Obama seems to be tiring of the journalists who have followed him daily since the campaign.

“OK, guys, come on," Obama said last Sunday, looking toward photographers clicking away as he warmed up before a round of golf. “How many shots do you need?”

It’s been a progression. And Obama’s frustration shows in waves.     

How long do you think it will be before he blows up at a press conference?  On live TV?

Look, we can all sympathize with a young guy who has young kids, and wants some privacy.  That's fine.  But a low frustration tolerance isn't very healthy in a president.  He will have to make life-and-death decisions, and may have to do so in the glare of publicity. 

Eisenhower had a famous temper, but he kept it private.  Bill Clinton was known to go over the top, but generally in private.  If a president shows stress and anger in public, he starts to lose the aura that surrounds the office.  He can even begin to look weak.

Obama may need some good advice on this.

December 28, 2008.