The Obama go-it-alone approach to politics paid huge dividends during the 2008 campaign as it allowed him to paint himself as the consummate outsider in an election where people were craving just that.

But, Obama's loner tendencies have served him far less well as president and now, as he turns to his bid for a second term, threaten to leave him isolated with little political cover from his own side.

Obama is doing what he can to remedy that problem with a base-intensive strategy of late designed to remind Democratic voters - and elected officials - why they like him.

The question for Obama is whether the problem is fixable. The level of distrust is significant and long-held. And the timing couldn't be worse.