What media bias?

This much is clear: Whether dealing with the Wall Street mess, shifting troops from Iraq to Afghanistan or fumbling to fill his Cabinet, Obama leans heavily on personal panache to push political policies. Truth be told, his style is rooted in something elusive and hard to define. Pure and simple, it's hip.

"Being hip is being able to navigate your environment and others' environments," like the way Obama traverses racial boundaries, said John Leland, author of the definitive book "Hip: The History."

"Obama has this awareness that other presidents haven't had. He's white, and he's black. He's an elitist, and he's regular folk. He's not pinned down to a perspective."

Young is to hip as old is to fogey - an essential characteristic. Obama has modern instincts and attitudes that appeal to younger people, and more than any other president in recent memory, that makes him a role model. He is green, open, athletic, tech-savvy, healthy. And his hip image certainly isn't hurt by his wife, who is so obviously cool - setting trends (Sleeveless! Tending her own garden!), confidently mingling with superstars, gracing magazine covers coast to coast.