WASHINGTON: - Less than a month in office, President Barack Obama has ushered in a more informal White House culture that contrasts sharply with that of his predecessor, Mr George W. Bush.From his dress to his schedule, Mr Obama has introduced a more informal decorum. He receives his daily intelligence and economic briefings after 9am, hours later than Mr Bush. He is also known to sometimes burn the midnight oil, a sharp difference with his notoriously early-to-bed predecessor.
Mr Obama 'is more laid back in appearance, more 24-7 in his work code,' said public affairs professor Julian Zelizer, of Princeton University.
One of the first photographs released by the Obama White House shows him sitting in the Oval Office in shirtsleeves.
'There should be a dress code of respect,' Mr Bush's first White House chief of staff Andrew Card said in a TV interview. 'I wish he would wear a suit and tie.'
At Mr Obama's first press call on Monday, the atmosphere had lost much of the tension associated with Mr Bush's interactions with the media.
'President Obama's new style is more accessible and open,' said Mr Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
