Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama: Mr. Likable. At least that's what the president's advisers hope Americans who are frustrated by the economy and looking for someone to blame will remember when they vote next November. His team is emphasizing the president's "regular guy" appeal, putting him in small-town diners, at roadside pit stops and on Jay Leno's couch. Those settings are designed to highlight his likeability, a political strength, even as the economy, a political weakness, sputters along a year before the 2012 election. During his recent bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia, the president surprised lunchtime crowds at...