Barack Obama shape-shifting to a  President who displays pride in his nation and also into a "softer, gentler" man is proceeding according to the plan I speculated about in Obama 2.0: the Reinvention Begins.My column suggested he would transform himself into being a warmer, more personable President and that he would heed the advice of Democratic analyst William Galston who counseled him to articulate American exceptionalism.How am I doing so far? Has the extreme makeover meant to fool us again started? Last night's State of the Union address was heavy on atmospherics -- particularly Barack Obama's notice that Americans might actually be proud of our nation and want our President to display pride. He talked of our history of being able to overcome and surpass the Soviet Union's space technology, and of our standing with those who aspire to democracy:Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik¸ we had...(Read Full Post)