Agility Quote by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Just to hear President Obama speak - he's eloquent, he's so classy.

— Jolene Ivey

When Obama dispenses with that dread sobriquet 'professorial,' he does it by being, well, more professorial.

— Tina Brown

When a president speaks that usually means a lot.

— David Brooks

The President has a quick and able mind, though not everybody gives him that, not by a long shot.

— Herman Wouk

President George W. Bush was kind of a goofy tongue-tied dude. Mostly he just mangled the English language. Barack Obama, by contrast, was a…

— Mollie Hemingway

Professor Obama has at least talked to us like we're adults.

— Nancy Gibbs

Obama's the most thoughtful-sounding president I can remember. He seems to be saying what he wants to say, and that is a great relief.…

— Roy Blount, Jr

The education of this president [Obama] is a protracted and often amusing process . . . as he continues to alight upon the obvious…

— George Will

I think Obama has been skilled and farsighted in a lot of the stuff that he's done. And in other things, unskilled and not…

— Rachel Maddow

Obama's great asset has always been an ability to maintain his air of authority without being baritone about it. He can be boring, but…

— Tina Brown

Barack Obama is an intellectual.

— Jonathan Chait

Obama isn't good off the cuff, especially when challenged; he is far better with a prepared speech.

— Elliott Abrams