Obama can’t stand to not be the center of attention. It causes him to go on the defensive and he just can’t control his anger. It’s like watching a small child have a tantrum. I half expect him to start jumping up and down and screaming, “look at me, look at me”.
Hence the reason why he didn’t want to go back to Washington to negotiate on the bailout bill - he’d have to share time with McCain. He wanted to be out on the campaign trail in front of adoring fans. Getting policies enacted is not his goal. His goal is power and adoration by the masses.