I read the article, especially the quotes from some of the non-conservative participants, more as saying it's not that he values their opinions but that he thinks they are ones that will often end up getting his point of view out there with a fair shake and might even come round to supporting it:

“He sees columnists as portals,” another journalist who has attended meetings said. “It works — I feel it work with me. It’s almost impossible to spend hours face-to-face with the president, unfiltered, then write a column or go on television without taking his point of view into account.”

For that reason, calling these sessions “off the record meetings” is actually inaccurate, said Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary for President George W. Bush, who held similar meetings.

“It’s a misnomer. After these meetings journalists will go on the air and say, ‘Here’s what the White House is thinking on this,’” Fleischer explained. “It’s smart. Every White House should do it.

Myself, I am kind of shocked that when I came to the conclusion that David Ignatius seemed to have very high level excellent sources on what the Obama administration was thinking (on like Netanyahu and Iran, or Snowden) that a lot of it was probably coming directly from the president himself. That is not the kind of source I was imagining.

I wonder what the shake out of this article will be. All these guys have basically been outed as having a direct line to the Oval Office!

He also has a large audience, one which seems to include you at times.