Biden’s news conference did not make big news but was revealing for other reasons

What Biden revealed was a sense of confidence that he understands the rhythms of Washington learned over a lifetime in the capital, a sense of what is and isn’t possible at any given time, of what to push when and how to keep his focus on major priorities while adapting to both the crises of the moment and multiple demands for action as those arise. Call it self-confidence or call it hubris. Time will provide the answer.

The president has one of the most ambitious agendas of any president in the last half century: pandemic, economy, climate, infrastructure, immigration, voting rights. Added to that are pressures to move swiftly on guns in the aftermath of mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, Colo., and to rectify the problems on the southern border brought about by the influx of unaccompanied minors and overwhelmed detention centers under the control of Customs and Border Protection.

One clue to the way he sees things came near the very end of the news conference, when he was asked whether he had spoken to any of the Senate Republicans who say they won’t consider taking up broader immigration legislation until the current problems on the border are resolved. “No,” he said, “because I know they have to posture for a while. They sort of have to get it out of their system.”

Another came when he was asked about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s suggestion that Biden has moved far to the left as president. “Look, I know Mitch well,” he said. “Mitch knows me well. I would expect Mitch to say exactly what he said. . . . I would like elected Republican support. But what I know I have now is I have electoral support from Republican voters.”

Biden could be overly confident about his command of things. The “posturing” on immigration could represent an insurmountable barrier. His newly passed stimulus package enjoys support from some Republicans but not a majority of them, although some pieces of the plan are more popular. What he seemed to want to convey is that he will try to avoid being pushed off course by what he regards as noise rather than something more serious.

Beyond that was a suggestion that he understands the pressures on McConnell as a leader of a divided Republican Party and that he assumes that McConnell understands where he is coming from. He did not address the more important issue of whether he believes they can eventually find a constructive relationship in a divided Washington.

There was another moment, too,…