Obama Addicted to Winning

President Obama's winning instinct isn't just about elections: The president is highly competitive in most facets of life, whether it's card-playing or reading a story to children. And he's not shy about his drive, reports the New York Times. To wit: He told a fundraising crowd that he has rarely attended events "where I'm like the fifth or sixth most interesting person"; he once said, "I think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters"; and he promised a group of children "the best rendition ever" of Green Eggs and Ham.

"He has a general philosophy that whatever he does, he’s going to do the very best he can do," says a friend. That philosophy, insiders say, stems from a childhood as an outsider who needed to prove himself. Thus, after being derided for terrible bowling during the 2008 campaign, he practiced and won a birthday competition the next year. America's judgment in the next election is one he's been "craving," the Times notes. An aide says that after being hammered by Republican attacks, he's determined to show that "we're right and we're better." Click for the full profile. (More President Obama stories.)