The President acknowledged that he has an array of critics on an array of problems, but he gave no hint that he's thinking of folding up his tent and heading back to Chicago anytime soon.

Mr. Obama mixed the expected amount of hope about future economic growth with admissions that times are tough for many right now.

He noted that Congress wasn't just going to rubber stamp his budget, but he refused to yield at this early point in the debate, even as key Democrats were beginning to carve apart his budget proposal of two weeks ago.

The President used familiar terms like "no silver bullet" and "patience" to urge Americans to stick with him, arguing that he's doing his best to solve economic troubles facing the nation.

On AIG, even when given the chance, Mr. Obama refused to jump headlong into the fray over the AIG bonuses, explaining why he didn't rush to the microphones after being told of the bonus fiasco.

"It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak," he said flatly.

There were no gaffes, no big time lines, no one liners to be remembered.

Instead it was a "stay the course" kind of news conference, sending the message that he's on the job, trying to turn the ship of state.

"The last 64 days has been dominated by me trying to figure out how we're going to fix the economy," the President noted accurately.

And that he said is the issue that will determine his fate.

"The American people are judging me exactly the way I should be judged."

The effective date of that judgment, January 20 of 2013.