Obama ushers in more informal White House style

Less than a month in office, President Barack Obama has ushered in a more informal White House culture that contrasts sharply with that of his predecessor, George W. Bush.
From his dress to his schedule, Obama has introduced a more informal decorum. He receives his daily intelligence and economic briefings after 9:00 am, hours later than Bush. He is also known to sometimes burn the midnight oil, a sharp difference with his notoriously early-to-bed predecessor.
Obama's "laid-back style is a sharp contrast to President Bush. He is more laid back in appearance, more 24-7 in his work code," said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University.
One of the first photographs released by the Obama White House shows the new commander-in-chief sitting in the Oval Office in shirtsleeves, casual attire that would have amounted to apostasy under Bush.
"There should be a dress code of respect," Bush's first White House chief of staff Andrew Card told Inside Edition, a syndicated television newsmagazine. "I wish that he would wear a suit and tie."
"We're wearing short sleeves because we have to roll up our sleeves and clean up the mess that we inherited," senior Obama adviser David Axelrod shot back in an interview with The Washington Post.
Even Bush was found to have sometimes let go of his reputedly strict suit-and-tie dress code.
Presidential casual dress does have a long tradition, with presidents ranging from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton at times kicking back and removing their jackets for important business.
To celebrate Valentine's Day weekend with his family, Obama on Friday returned for the first time since his inauguration to his Chicago home, a far more urban setting than Bush's isolated Texas ranch.
During his eight-year presidency, Bush spent all or part of about 490 days in Crawford, Texas and some 487 days at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, according to CBS News.
Don't expect the same from Obama, who has kept up a frenetic schedule. The White House said he would make domestic trips once a week.
Reportedly chafing at his White House confinement, the new president turned to support outside the capital beltway to take his message directly to "Main Street," traveling to Indiana, Florida, Virginia and Illinois this week. Next week, he is scheduled to head to Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona.
"He's a bit of a restless soul," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs has acknowledged. "His idea of a crazy day is to take a long walk ... in solitude and isolation."
Well-travelled and having grown up in Indonesia and Hawaii, Obama will likely overturn Bush's tradition of flash visits abroad, spending more time speaking with foreign leaders and travelling to their cities' sites.
"President Obama's new style is more accessible and open than what we have seen in the past administration ... This is a style that will help him during a period of great economic hardship," said Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution.
"During crises, people want a leader with whom they can relate and who they believe understands their pain. His style will be a tremendous plus for him in the early days of his presidency."
At Obama's first press conference Monday, the atmosphere had lost much of the tension that became part and parcel of Bush's interaction with the media.
In an unruly twist Bush would likely never have accepted, a reporter for Israel's Channel 2 television shouted: "A question for Israel, Mr. President!" while holding up a sign that read "Israel."
Quickly settling into his new digs, Obama has already hosted regular cocktail hours and other gatherings for political friends and foes.
And if you want a spot in the White House parking lot, don't fret with Obama -- there are still open spaces by mid-morning. Up until just a month ago, the presidential parking lot was often full before dawn.
"Bush was more formal and less open. He criticised staff members who came into the Oval Office without a coat and tie. His formal personal style isolated him from ordinary folks and eventually created a big gulf between him and voters," West said.
Legend has it Bush once locked Colin Powell out of the Cabinet Room when the former secretary of state arrived late.