Why having a regular guy as our president instills confidence that he's listening to us....

If ever there was a difference between Barack Obama and the guys who preceded him at the White House, it's his humanity.

I was amazed that Obama, a certified hoop junkie from Illinois, took time from his schedule to show his picks to an ESPN sportscaster for his Final Four brackets. Such a simple exercise in prognostication drew ire from some of the NCAA coaching fraternity.

Noted Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: "Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets."

Along with his trip to the Jay Leno show, Obama is showing that he is a just another regular Joe. Even with his Special Olympics gaffe about his bowling skills, I still am amazed at how he’s using the media to reach out to people.

Please note that I don’t agree with a lot of his platform, most notably his willingness to tax health benefits. Nor, was I too impressed with his staff’s decision to have wounded warriors have their current medical coverage pay for war-related treatment.

Yet, Obama is willing to show America that he’s a normal guy, and in these troubled economic times, we need that kind of confidence in our president that he’s listening to us.