Obama's first 100

Today is the 100th day of the Obama administration. Judging a president after 100 days is not realistic -- and may be absurd.

After the first hundred days, President Carter was viewed as potentially great, and President Clinton was viewed as a one-termer. Obviously, it didn't turn out that way.

No one can predict after a few months whether a presidency will be successful over the long four-year term, or eight years if he gets re-elected. We have no idea what lies ahead.

In a way, it is like judging a marathoner after he has completed the first few blocks of a race. You can tell whether he is running easy or smart or whether his stride and pace is correct, but you certainly can't predict whether he will win or finish the race strong.

The president has an appealing style. The country is giving him high marks, but so far they are style points and not necessarily for his policies. We don't know whether the policies will work.

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