It’s the Little Things in Life That Matter

“Michelle was unhappy about how [Barack’s] prep had been handled. There had been a late arrival in Denver, a rushed dinner at a crappy hotel. Inexplicably, he had been unable to reach Sasha and Malia by phone. He seemed overscheduled, overcoached, and under-rested . . . . If the president wants our chef there, he should be there; if he wants Marty Nesbitt there, he should be there. Barack’s food, downtime, exercise, sleep, lodging—all of it affects his frame of mind. All of it has to be right.”

—John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

Your Must-Read of the Day: Obama's Way

In a ballyhooed article for Vanity Fair, which he's turning into a book, Michael Lewis pulls back the curtain on what it's like to be president. An excerpt:

"You also need to remove from your life the day-to-day problems that absorb most people for meaningful parts of their day. 'You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits,' he said. 'I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.' He mentioned research that shows the simple act of making decisions degrades one’s ability to make further decisions. It’s why shopping is so exhausting. 'You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinize yourself. You can’t be going through the day distracted by trivia.'"

Addendum (9/15/2012): For a countertake, see Andrew Ferguson's takedown in the Weekly Standard.