The work-in-progress approach is a departure from the normal practice in which the president's schedule is previewed days in advance. The blank slate reflects the White House's attempt to stay nimble, leaving Obama room to maneuver amid a public health crisis that has been anything but predictable.

After waking up in his own bed Monday at his family's home in Chicago, Obama plans to vote early for the Nov. 4 midterm elections and attend a fundraiser for Democrats. How he'll spend the rest of the week is anyone's guess.

Last week, Obama twice had to cancel planned campaign trips at the last minute to stay in Washington to focus on Ebola. This week, Obama is hoping to avoid such last-minute cancelations and show he's singularly focused on the task at hand.

It's a change of pace for Obama, who is typically reluctant to get sidetracked by events of the moment. His aides tend to hunker down when faced with setbacks outside their control. But in recent months, Obama has come under criticism for maintaining his schedule '€” golf, vacation and all '€” even when events in Iraq, Ukraine or the U.S.-Mexico border demanded his attention.

So even though it's crunch time for the midterm elections, with Democrats counting on their president to help get out the vote, Obama hasn't made any promises to campaign this week with candidates. Even the U.S.-led military operation against the Islamic State group may take a lower profile as Obama seeks to reassure an anxious public that stopping Ebola in its tracks is Priority No. 1.

White House aides have acknowledged the federal government's initial response to Ebola reaching American soil was lacking, and hope a more robust response now will make up for early errors. In a sign of how all-encompassing the Ebola situation has become, Obama convened a rare Saturday evening meeting of roughly 20 top aides and Cabinet officials to discuss Ebola.

Over the weekend, Obama marched on the campaign trail for the first time this year, rallying for Democratic candidates for governor in Illinois and Maryland.

The president has stayed away from appearing in public with candidates '€” due in large part to his sagging approval ratings in key states. Obama will rally in the coming weeks for another half-dozen Democratic candidates for governor, but is not venturing into the conservative-leaning states where Democrats are fighting their toughest Senate races.

Control of the Senate is the biggest political prize in the Nov. 4 elections, with Republicans needing only to win six seats to take a majority.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP (**)

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