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| Obama has unveiled dozens of initiatives since entering office [GALLO/GETTY] |
The first 100 days in office is traditionally a honeymoon period for US presidents.
The marker is an artificial deadline perpetuated by the media to have an excuse to issue a school style "report card" on a new president and may not reflect how the rest of a president's term will unfold.
Nonetheless, it gives the public a chance to get a sense of the president's direction as he selects his team and finds his stride.
Barack Obama has already made his name as one of the most active presidents in US history during this period.
Seizing the initiative
Since January 20, he has introduced initiatives for everything from the treatment of Guantanamo detainees to equal pay for women to high speed railway plans.
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| Obama's decisions on Iraq and Afghanistan have been met with mixed reviews [Reuters] |
In the first days of his administration, Obama sought to change a number of policies instituted during the era of his predecessor, George Bush, including ordering the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
While announcing the new policy, Obama said "living our values doesn't make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger".
However, allegations of mistreatment of detainees in US custody have persisted.
And the torture of detainees during the Bush administration and how to deal with those who perpetuated the policy are issues that continue to dog Obama.
On his third day in office, Obama rescinded a Bush-era order prohibiting US government funds from going to international organisations which perform abortions.
A few weeks later, Obama attempted to fulfil a campaign promise to bring American troops home from six years of war in Iraq, although perhaps not as quickly as some would have liked.
Obama doctrine
But in what is increasingly being called "Obama's war", the new president committed 21,000 more US troops to the war in Afghanistan, saying: "We will use all elements of our national power to defeat al-Qaeda, and to defend America, our allies, and all who seek a better future."
As for the hunt for Osama bin Laden, Obama administration officials reiterated what he said during his election campaign, that if there were actionable intelligence against specific targets, the US would act.
Continuing the diplomatic flurry, Obama announced new special envoys to the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and on the conflict in Darfur to show a renewed effort by the US to deal with the world's pressing problems.
The fruits of those labours will certainly shape the Obama doctrine.
At the end of the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago this month, Obama said: "I feel very strongly that when we are at our best, the United States represents a set of universal values and ideals.
"The idea of democratic practices, the idea of freedom of speech and religion, the idea of a civil society where people are free to pursue their dreams and not be imposed upon constantly by their government."
Placing the blame
Throughout the first 100 days, Obama has been juggling a series of foreign policy initiatives and the recession at home.
And he takes care to remind the American public of who is to blame for the economic mess.
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| The economic crisis has been Obama's top priority [EPA] |
During a weekly internet addresses in March, Obama said: "My administration inherited a $1.3 trillion budget deficit, the largest in history. And we've inherited a budgeting process as irresponsible as it is unsustainable.
"For years, as Wall Street used accounting tricks to conceal costs and avoid responsibility, Washington did, too. These kinds of irresponsible budgets - and inexcusable practices - are now in the past," he added.
In February, he sent Rahm Emanuel, his chief of staff and a notorious Washington pitbull, to press members of congress to pass the $787bn economic stimulus package.
The president says it will create jobs, cut taxes for working families, and fund infrastructure projects ... all meant to stem the recession tide and turn the US economy around.
A breakneck pace
Obama talks relentlessly about the economy to show Americans that fixing it is his top priority.
He instituted a daily economic briefing at the White House in addition to the traditional national security briefing.
His press machine is careful to point out that Obama reads 10 letters every day from constituents so he can keep in touch with "regular" people.
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Obama has held many town meetings
and online discussions [Reuters] |
Sometimes he even sends hand-written replies. It is all part of the Obama message: that he cares, empathises, and is working hard to make things better.
Obama has given speeches, held town hall meetings and news conferences and toured factories, businesses, and schools, always talking about the number one US issue - the economy - while still having time to romp with the family dog on the White House lawn.
He also shows no sign of backing down from his busy schedule, telling a Democratic fundraiser: "There are those who say, 'you're taking on too much'; say the budget is too ambitious, we should only focus on one problem at a time.
"But we know - we're smarter than that. We know the challenges are too big to ignore."
Despite the flurry of activity, however, the recession continues, Guantanamo remains open, and troubled spots across the globe remain troubled.
The world's problems are not fixable in 100 days. Obama should have at least 1,360 more to keep trying.
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