Obama's First 100 Days: How I See it Happening

After the longest, most expensive and participatory nomination process in history and an agonizingly close tally of popular and electoral votes, the opening act of the most historic presidency in American history is over. Here's Obama's first progress report:

The same problems are still problems. Our troops are still in Iraq. Not every American has access to health care. And the price of gas is approaching $8 a gallon. For pie-in-the sky Obama supporters, the reality is setting in that "change you can believe in" is hard, and that it takes more than three months.

Not much has happened. This is no surprise. Presidents are known for laying low in their first few months on the job. It took George Bush over a month and complaints from the media about his inaccessibility before he held an official press conference. Bill Clinton's advisors focused on shaping his presidential image during his first months in the White House. In the absence of a major national or international incident, President Obama has predictably spent a good portion of his first Presidential winter behind closed doors.

There is evidence of change. Obama's ambitious campaign platform didn't give him much latitude to ease into the job slowly. He was able to make a big splash one of his key issues (the war, health care, or the economy). His commitment to bipartisanship is reflected in his cabinet, and it is working. Republicans Chuck Hagel, an opponent of the Iraq war, and Richard Lugar, leader of the Republicans on the Senate foreign relations committee, have been instrumental in shaping his foreign policy. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger is proving to be a strong leader on climate change, and former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg was a surprise pick as economics czar, but his plans to improve the country's infrastructure over the long term has economists excited.

There has been controversy. Obama's talk of change was clearly more than campaign rhetoric, and he is sure to lock horns with the status quo often in his presidency, as he did in the first month on the job. He wasted no time in reversing a litany of executive orders issued by George W. Bush on the grounds that they were unconstitutional, sparking some strong verbal sparring between the two. Now he is taking aim at The Patriot Act and No Child Left Behind, two of Bush's legacy-making pieces of legislation. His upcoming visit with a controversial head-of-state is sure to ruffle plenty more feathers in conservative circles.

We've learned a few key tings in President Obama's first 100 days: he is not afraid to take on the establishment; he is inclusive but doesn't give too much ground' and he has a lot more work and a long way to go before his vision of change is fully realized.