Is he trying to handle too much at once? Why did it take him so long to respond to questions about bonuses to AIG executives? Is he worried that his trillion-dollar budget proposal and stimulus packages will bankrupt the country?

These were some of the concerns that President Barack Obama addressed in his press conference last night, and thankfully, he responded to reporters with the focused self-assurance we have come to expect from him.

The economic crisis has turned Republicans into harping nannies and the 24/7 media into an endless drone of opinions - most of which are embarrassingly thin on substance.

Obama has been in office just over 60 days and we're already hearing how he has squandered his political capital. That's utter nonsense.

After years of economic and military confidence, the US is adrift and no one really knows where we are headed or how to solve the difficult problems we face.

Is the mounting deficit frightening?

Sure, enough to strip the bark off the trees.

But we're seeing a president, perhaps the first in recent memory, who is aggressively taking his message directly to the people. His concern for everyday Americans losing their jobs and homes feels genuine.

His prodding of fiscal conservatives who are complaining about minuscule tax increases is long overdue.

The American public has been way ahead of our political leaders for nearly a decade. We knew the Iraq War was a disastrous decision. We knew what social disparities Katrina would reveal.

And we've known for some time that this economy wasn't on solid footing and that it certainly was not benefiting everyone.

Obama showed last night that Americans are not going to wither over bad news. We've been through bad times before.

In a terse exchange with CNN's Ed Henry, Obama said that he waited two days to discuss the AIG bonuses because he likes to know what he's talking about.

Now that's a refreshing change.