Is this the new, tougher Obama?

Last weekend the New York Times published an op-ed by Frank Rich titled, "Obama's Squandered Summer," in which the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer took the president to task for being a bit soft, saying that Obama would have "looked stronger" if he'd "stood up more proactively" in the course of exhibiting the leadership that will ultimately define his presidency. It appears as though the White House got the message. Just as his dicey G20 challenges approached Obama began losing some of that nice guy image - and ruffling some feathers in the process.

Rumors out of the U.K. are playing part. Sources claimed the president allegedly rebuffed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's five attempts to hold a bilateral meeting at the United Nations or at the G20 summit. Brown's camp quickly dismissed the claim, and mentioned that the two leaders did catch up with a 15-minute "walk and talk" meeting in the U.N. kitchen on Wednesday. But the headlines left a mark for Brown. A proper sit-down with Obama was seen by many as an attempt by the beleaguered British leader, whose health status and leadership are currently under intense scrutiny by both his opponents and supporters, to bolster his standing as a world leader in his own country and abroad. The president, who did agree to individual meetings with leaders from Japan, Russia and China, is rumored to be perturbed at Brown for the way he recently handled the Scottish government's decision to release the man convicted in the Pan Am/Lockerbie bombing, a terrorist act in which almost 200 Americans lost their lives.

On the home front, Obama recently made waves for allegedly pushing unpopular New York Governor David Paterson toward resigning and not running for office in 2010, opening the door for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the son of former Governor Mario Cuomo, to run as the the Democratic Party nominee. Paterson, the state's first African-American governor, shot back by saying that he had no intention to "give up" and took a vague swipe at the Obama administration's first year difficulties. However, his wife Michelle Paterson didn't hold back similarly, lashing out at the president yesterday, calling Obama's move "very unusual and very unfair," adding that she's "never heard of a president asking a sitting governor not to run for re-election." It should be noted, however, that Obama hasn't been shy about throwing his weight behind White House-favored candidates in Democratic primaries during his brief time in office, though the circumstances in this case do make it quite unusual.

Coverage of recent speeches has also noted the president's more stern tone. As Reuters reported on Tuesday's Mideast negotiations, "An impatient [Obama] scolded Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday for not doing more to unblock the peace process." At last month's high-stakes primetime address on health care, heckler Joe Wilson indisputably stole the spotlight but most of Obama's reviews remarked on a shift to much tougher talk.

Obama's harder lines have also been felt by the media. A White House senior advisor was scheduled to appear on CNN's "American Morning" this week, but was pulled in protest after the network booked Christopher Andersen, whose book, "Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage," boasts about its "behind the scenes" details of the Obama's relationship, something the White House isn't all too pleased about.

In the closing paragraph of his op-ed, Frank Rich wrote that "Obama's deliberative brand of wait-and-then-pounce leadership let him squeak - barely - through the summer." Squeaking, it seems, may no longer be the president's style.

-- Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog.