Careful, Mr. President

I thought the very same thing as Dana Milbank in viewing Obama's last press conference:

But the man who faced reporters Tuesday afternoon in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was treated by his questioners as a conquering colossus - and Obama didn't mind wearing those shoes.

"A lot of folks in this town predicted that, after the midterm elections, Washington would be headed for more partisanship and more gridlock," he said to a roomful of people who had predicted just that. "And instead, this has been a season of progress for the American people."

He bestowed superlatives on his accomplishments:

"The most productive post-election period we've had in decades."

"The most productive two years that we've had in generations."

"The most significant arms-control agreement in nearly two decades."

"The biggest upgrade of America's food-safety laws since the Great Depression."

"Al-Qaeda is more hunkered down than they have been since the original invasion of Afghanistan in 2001."

More! Most! Biggest! And when he wasn't praising his accomplishments, he was praising himself: "One thing I hope people have seen during this lame-duck, I am persistent. I am persistent. You know, if I believe in something strongly, I stay on it."

Careful, Mr. President.