"The president’s eyes became fixed; his voice took on the agitated, rapid tone of someone neither accustomed to nor welcoming interruption..."

"... his easy affability was replaced by an almost messianic certainty. As I watched my mostly Republican Senate colleagues hang on his every word, I was reminded of the dangerous isolation that power can bring."

That's how Barack Obama described President Bush in "The Audacity of Hope." The occasion was a White House breakfast for new Senators that took place right after the 2004 elections. Today, right after the 2008 elections, President Bush will meet with Barack Obama again, under dramatically changed circumstances. Will anyone's eyes become fixed? Will anyone's voice take on an agitated, rapid tone? Will anyone's easy affability be replaced by an almost messianic certainty? Will anyone call to mind the dangerous isolation that power can bring?