The First 100 Days: Presidential Milestones

Every era has its milestones, and the tenure of the President of the United States is no exception. From the party conventions to Election Day to the inauguration and the States of the Union, the presidency is separated into a series of chronological intervals. Without external context, these periods may not actually mean much, but to historians and the media, such can be used to measure how an administration is progressing. The first of the presidential intervals is the First 100 Days; Obama's 100th day occurred Wednesday, April 29. The First 100 Days is used by analysts to predict how the course of the full term of presidency will be.

President Obama's first three months in office have been highly publicized in the media, with nearly every major news source having a "First 100 Days" segment in their programming or on their Web sites. President Obama made many promises during his campaign, and the media is waiting to see how he carries out on them. One prominent Web site is the St. Petersburg Times' http://www.politifact.com, a 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner that compiles which political promises are carried out and which are broken.

Obama certainly had quite a bit on his plate when he took the office of the president in January: the economy in an all-time low, national security, civil right clashes, health care problems and an ongoing war to deal with. But he promised to take care of all this and more, and he certainly jumped on it immediately and has made a lot of progress even in the first couple months in office. According to PolitiFact, President Obama made 514 promises in his campaign of "hope" and "change." He has already accomplished 27 with seven more under the category of "compromise." These are key milestones in the past 100 days that can give Americans hope for a successful and strong presidency over the next few years.

America did not to wait long for an important event, as it came on Obama's third day as president: the executive order to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The facility was the site of human rights violations regarding the treatment of prisoners, and the Bush administration had set up military commissions to try the prisoners. Though the order faced setbacks due to an overruling by the military commission judge, it set two precedents for the Obama administration: that the executive branch would take strong direct action against human rights violations, and that it was willing to alter the controversial policies of previous administrations.

Perhaps the most prominent current issue is the U.S. economic slump. As president, Obama worked hard with Congress to create legislation to help out every American make it through the tough times. The jewel of the first 100 days is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, colloquially known as the economic stimulus package, signed into effect Feb. 17. This is a major step in setting the economy right; it provides tax relief for families, support for small businesses, bailouts for failing corporations as well as financial backing for new initiatives in education, green energy and the housing market, amongst others. Despite controversy and a few compromises that were made in order to get the legislation through the houses of Congress, the stimulus package came as a first priority for the new administration at a time when it was desperately needed. It is just the start of a long recovery period, but it gives hope that this recession will not last forever and that the Obama administration is making large efforts to ensure a complete recovery.

Another major milestone was the Commander-in-Chief's plan to withdraw troops from Iraq and focus more on the increasing threat in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Iraq war has been going on for over five years, and though the Bush administration had always said that troops would be withdrawn, a firm agenda was never carried out. President Obama made it one of his priorities to do so, and within just a few weeks of being inaugurated, on Feb. 27 he announced that the majority of troops in Iraq would be removed by the summer of 2010. Finally, with the influence of the Taliban spreading from Afghanistan into neighboring Pakistan, Obama announced on March 27 that the U.S. would send more troops to fight the terrorists there. This was a daring move, highly controversial for the Democratic party, but one that was backed with support from the right from military officials and politicians in the U.S. and in Afghanistan. With these two major announcements, Obama made it clear that his Administration over the next few years will overcome traditional party views for the greater good.

President Obama's term is only in its toddler stage, but the administration has already successfully implemented many major changes. In the span of just three months, he has targeted many major issues, and Democrats and Republicans alike can appreciate the effort that is being put in by the new head of state. There is little doubt that President Obama's term will be one marked with epic changes in United States policy.