I think you're wrong. It's unrealistic for the President to have a strong opinion personally on every bill and item going through Congress.
He has a policy team that stays on top of all of it, and he is briefed as necessary.
He may have made the call, but the information and impetus to do so will have come from his team.
I'm looking for sources that describe the process, but I know I've read some Obama team related articles recently.