

A prime example came last Friday during his appearance at a North Carolina battery manufacturer. A woman named Doris asked the president during a Q&A session whether it was a "wise decision to add more taxes to us with the health care" package. "We are overtaxed as it is," she concluded.

That set President Obama off on a 17-minute and 12-second riff that must have put the crowd into a stupor. His 2,500-word answer was more than three times the length of a typical op-ed piece. His response wandered from issue to issue and was filled with Washington jargon. "Boy, that was a long answer. I'm sorry," he concluded, drawing nervous laughter. "I hope I answered your question."

As was apparent to all who listened, his filibuster had only served to avoid addressing her concern. He never explained why his health care bill ended up raising taxes on those making under $200,000 a year -- a violation of his explicit 2008 campaign pledge.

Indeed, President Obama is clearly avoiding any forum where he can be pinned down with tough questions. (His recent Fox News interview with Bret Baier was an exception the White House has regretted.) On Sunday's "Chris Matthews Show." a group of journalists examined the president's manifest antipathy to being probed. "He doesn't like the press conference because he doesn't want to be a piñata for the press," explained Norah O'Donnell of MSNBC. Chuck Todd, the political director of NBC News, explained: "The president likes to give long answers. He hates the short formats in general."

So far, Washington journalists have been quite passive in letting the White House choose the terms of its interaction with the public. Lots of photo-ops -- such as Mr. Obama shooting hoops with Harry Smith of CBS News -- but almost no prime-time news conferences. Would a conservative president get such an obliging ride from the normally aggressive Washington press corps? Probably not.
