Two Opposite Views on Obama the Communicator

Are these guys listening to the same speeches? Fellow Washington Post columnists come to very different conclusions about President Obama:

• EJ Dionne: He thinks the Milwaukee-Cleveland "one-two punch" shows a "resurrected" president ready to take on Republicans on matters of substance, indeed, on the very "philosophical underpinnings" of his view of government and how it can help people. "Suddenly, there's a point to this election. Obama is late to this game, but at least he's finally playing it." Full column here.

• Michael Gerson: Among the adjectives he uses to describe Obama's language: "self-absorbed," "pedestrian," "humorless" and "negative." All in all, "Obama the communicator seems lost. His challenge reaches beyond rhetoric and beyond the midterm elections: finding not only a new agenda but a new persona." Full column here.

(More President Obama stories.)