In his latest column for the New York Times neoconservative columnist Bill Kristol explains that he had no fear of Obama shortly before or even shortly after the election. Obama was a smart politician and a great campaigner but, Kristol noticed, he is not a man who connects to voters on a personal, emotional level. He comes across as a man without a sense of humor or other personal feelings for that matter.

But then the president-elect of the most powerful country on earth gave his first press conference in about three months time, and the first after he won the election. During this conference he did something he had not done throughout his campaign: he connected with voters on a personal level, presenting himself as a man, one with flaws, weaknesses, emotions and the need to negotiate with his family about the steps he takes to advance his career.

As Kristol points out, ‘while we’ve all known that Obama is a very skillful politician, he hasn’t until now been a particularly empathetic one. Competence plus warmth is a pretty potent combination.’ And that’s what Obama did by saying: “We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me. So — so whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”

Kristol explains: ‘Here, in a few sentences, Obama did the following: He deepened his bond with every dog lover in America. He identified with every household that’s tried to figure out what kind of dog to get. He touched every parent with a kid allergic to pets. He showed compassion by preferring a dog from a shelter. And he demonstrated a dry and slightly politically incorrect wit.’

It is this simple: even if you hate dogs, you get one if you want to be a successful politician who connects with his constituents. Americans love dogs. So you should love them too. The way in which Obama talked about the dog – which resulted once again in massive positive media attention – raises his profile even more, in the way Kristol explains.

As Kristol says, ‘it could be a tough four or eight years for conservatives.’

And there is more, of course, as Kristol points out as well. His choice for Chief of Staff, enforcer Rahm Emanuel, also signals that Obama understands the game of politics all too well, and is not quite willing to make the same mistake his Democratic predecessors Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton made in the first two years of their presidency. Obama will focus on protecting his own interests first and foremost, those of his party a distant second.

That is good news for moderates, but bad news for conservatives who hope that Obama will overplay his hand.