The guy’s cool even when he takes off his sunglasses. He has that one-handed move, removing the shades as he walks easily, calmly to the next crisis. And he wears a suit like maybe one guy in 3,000 wears a suit.

It’s the word that keeps coming up in the commentary from couch and recliner on Barack Obama. The president-elect is cool. He’s cool in the way he moves, in the way he handles the press, in the way he sticks to the important stuff.

Among the things I remember as absolutely cool are duck-tail haircuts, ’54 Mercurys with bubble skirts and Hollywood mufflers and early Brando. But the word has evolved since its early days in the social mix. It is more about attitude now, about how people handle themselves. Restraint is part of it, along with quiet understanding, a sense of humor.

Cool isn’t the same as hip. Cool doesn’t have a reading list. It’s about doing the right thing but feeling no need to run around on tabletops to announce it.

There will be some challenges with having a cool president. It will take some getting used to. We’ve never had one before. And don’t tell me about the guy who played sax on Arsenio Hall. He’s not even close.

In fact, the whole idea of cool has been removed from all but small pockets of America for a lot of years. It has been pushed aside by the “look at me, damn it” school of public appearance.

Once, the wide receiver made the spectacular catch, glided into the end zone and calmly flipped the ball to the referee as he ran back to the bench. It was cool. It was minimal. The catch, the graceful, balletic turn on grass, was a small masterpiece framed in physical limits.

Now, the wide receiver makes the spectacular catch, glides into the end zone and immediately goes into a self-adoring thump ’n’ howl reminiscent of the winner in a Friday night chug-a-lug contest. It’s not cool. The pure athletic moment is turned tacky.

Once, believe it or not, the discussion was civil, if heated. There was a belief that a point could be better made with clear, calm reason than spit-flecked insult.

Now, Barney Frank and Bill O’Reilly agree to face off on television in a steel cage death match between galloping egos. There is no point made except that there was no point to them facing off in the first place. Cool? Hardly.

Once, there was radio.

Now, there is talk radio.

So what are we to make of Barack Obama walking into the middle of this social train wreck with what appears to be a firm grip on the idea that only what’s needed is necessary? Can he, by example, turn us around? Does he bring not only hope for sanity after the madness, but a real chance to re-introduce us to the idea that doing things well can be its own reward?

It certainly would be a refreshing new experience.

And it sure is fun to watch. It might be a little like watching the Kennedys arrive at the end of the somnolent ’50s. But there’s a lot more urgency this time around.

Here is this thoroughly modern man with what seem some very old ideas on how to behave. It is fascinating to watch young people respond to him because many have never seen anything quite like him. He brings different times together.

During the campaign, he overworked the word “change” to the point where it barely had six letters anymore. But now it really does seem that’s what he brings.

We know we can’t be the same anymore in this season of death by shopping. It’s way past time for a serious overhaul.

We can only hope our new president can stay cool and lead us out of this crazy place.

bkerr@projo.com