As he embarks on a crucial “date night” with his wife Michelle, President Barack Obama said today that he is “cautiously optimistic” about the outcome.

“Let’s be clear: you never go into one of these things knowing how it’s going to turn out,” Mr. Obama told reporters.  “But Michelle has given me glimmers of hope.”

Mr. Obama said that he and his wife have had only informal talks about what will happen on their date night and that there are “no preconditions.”

“Hopefully, we will find common ground,” Mr. Obama said.

With his busy schedule permitting him only one date night per week, the pressure is on Mr. Obama to make each one count, according to one White House source who was involved in the planning of this week’s date night.

“There’s enormous pressure on the President,” the source said.  “The whole world is watching.”

But Mr. Obama was careful to brush off such talk, stressing that this date night is just one of many date nights to come.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said.  “You just need to stay at it, and sooner or later, you get lucky.”

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