Photographs of Barack Obama from behind the White House curtain
Today he woke up to headlines calling him the 'four trillion dollar man' as economists try to work out how the president will fill the hole in the U.S. deficit.
Barack Obama also has the ongoing situation in Libya on his plate, as well as the various diplomatic demands brought about by the 'Arab Spring'. He also has a re-election campaign to think about.
But in a series of new photographs released by the White House shows that while life as the most powerful man in the world undoubtedly brings a heavy burden, the man dealing with it is very human; a father, a husband and friend as well as a statesman.
Making light work of it: President Barack Obama holds up four-month-old Alia Jawando as her father, William Jawando, Deputy Associate Director of Public Engagement, and her mother Michele look on in the Oval Office
A dream come true: President Barack Obama welcomes Make-A-Wish child Kennedy Alexander to the Oval Office and, right, talking on the phone with Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan in the Treaty Room office of the White House residence
International football: Obama isn't quite wearing the right footwear for a kickabout but that doesn't stop him showing of his skills off to children at the Cidade de Deus favela Community Center in Rio de Janeiro
The second version of the First Lady: The president can't help but laugh as he poses with a cut-out of Michelle Obama during a visit to Miami Central High School in Florida and, right, he greets Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Oval office as she approaches from the Colonnade prior to a meeting
The series of images by official photographer Pete Souza often show off the megawatt smile that won over America.
They also show the effect he has on people; the bashful young beauty queen covering her face as she meets a rather dishy president, or thee starstruck faces of White House staff as he runs past them grinning because he is late for a meeting.
We also see the effect people and situations have on him, such as the genuine solemnity he expresses in moments of disaster, such as signing a book of condolence for the tsunami and earthquake tragedy in Japan.
As president, Obama's time is not his own, and many hands pull at his sleeve for attention; military, political, civilian and even those of his young daughters. These photos capture the difficulties he has dividing his time between them.
The Obama effect: Miss Florida Memorial University, Morisa Jagrup, looks a little bashful as she meets the president at Miami Central High School
President Barack Obama practices passing a football with Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia in the Oval Office,
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wait in the Blue Room of the White House before greeting recipients of the 2010 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal
Who wrote this story, anyway? The president reads from his book, 'Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters', during a visit by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and his family, including his grandson Eli Essiam Breyer
For instance, in one striking silhouetted shot one can see him making the most of his time in Brazil with his wife and daughters, standing in awe before the stature of Christ the Redeemer. But on the same trip, we see him being briefed on the developing situation in Libya.
There are the times when those worlds cross over, such as the tender moment in which the president is standing in quiet contemplation before addressing is the family man, standing in quiet humility before addressing the 2010 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal.
At the same time, his wife picks a speck of fluff from the shoulder of her husband's suit.
In the shadow of greatness: The President is caught in silhouette against the backdrop of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with his wife and daughters Sasha and Malia
As president, you have to make the big decisions: Obama thinks carefully about his choice of sweet from the display at Donckers in Marquette, Michigan
Policy on the run: The president jogs past staff from the White House Military Office on the Colonnade of the White House following an event that ran late
Things are looking up: Obama, Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and members of both delegations look up at the presidential seal on the ceiling of the Oval Office
He is often pictured taking pleasure in the children of friends and colleagues, in person or in pictures on an iPad, and we even see him taking the REALLY big decisions, such as what cake to buy in front of a tempting counter of goodies.
There is a open friendliness to him, a mateyness captured as he throws an American football around in the Oval office with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Wherever possible, it seems, Obama carries out his duties with that smile on his face.
Breaking news: Obama is briefed on the situation in Libya during a secure conference call with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, right, and Chief of Staff Bill Daley while in Rio de Janeiro
Life at the top of the table: Obama holds a meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan with the national security team in the Situation Room
Serious side: Obama meets with senior staff in the Roosevelt Room of the White House while, right, he again shows his lighter side with children as he meets Halle Major during a visit by the Make-A-Wish charity in the Oval Office
Mourning: The president signs a book of condolence for Japan's earthquake and tsunami victims, at the Embassy of Japan in Washington. On his left is Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki
Family man: The president takes time to look at pictures of the twin daughters of White House Military Aide Major Reggie McClam on an iPad as they ride in a service lift
Past and present: Obama talks to Chief of Staff Bill Daley in the Cross Hall of the White House, beneath a portrait of Ronald Regan
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