Most notable about all the words spoken is the variability of their tone, the way in which Obama has modulated his pitch for different moments. Underlying these shifts have been the defining tensions of the first 100 days — how to make the case for action on the economy without being too pessimistic, how to be tough without being too partisan, how to share outrage about Wall Street without being inflammatory…

His trip to Europe demanded its own nuance — putting on a friendlier face to the world without overdoing it.