Gibbs: First 100 Days A Hallmark Moment
This week President Obama and his administration receive their first semester grades from the press, pundits, bloggers, think tanks, politicians and everyday people. When asked on "Meet the Press" yesterday about the import of evaluating the first 100 days in office, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said it was worth "a good 8 to 10 seconds of reflection" by the American people.
"It's a little bit of a Hallmark holiday," he concluded.
For a Hallmark holiday moment, Mr. Obama is doing far more than a greeting card or a box of chocolates to mark the occasion. He is once again taking over the TV broadcast airwaves, holding a prime-time news conference (8 p.m. EDT) on his 100th day in office, which is Wednesday. In addition, prior to his news conference he is making a visit to St. Louis for a town-hall meeting as part of his unending campaign.
The president has clearly been gearing up for this day, and will take the opportunity to list his accomplishments since January 20th. He has rendered more than 100 plans and decisions. He has been buzzing from issue to issue with the instinctual efficiency of a honeybee -- the economy, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North Korea, Iran, education, healthcare, energy, budget, deficits, pirates, waterboarding, Chavez and, of course, presidential pets.
It's as if every day in his first 100 days he brought something new, or was handed something new such as swine flu or CIA interrogation memos, to the agenda.
So far, Mr. Obama can take credit so far for keeping the economy from totally cratering and establishing some trust as evidenced in his popularity numbers with the American people.
He hasn't won over many Republicans to his side. It's clearly too early for the president to declare any sort of victory (remember George W. Bush declaring victory in Iraq on May 2003 perched on the USS Abraham Lincoln), but he will bask in Hallmark moment for the day.
For the following 100 days the president will continue to add items to his agenda. The question is whether he will be able to take any off.
Check out our complete coverage of Mr. Obama's first 100 days here. On Wednesday night, we will also have a special online-only Webcast following Mr. Obama's press conference. You can ask a question or submit a video for the show here.
Daniel Farber is editor-in-chief of CBSNews.com.
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Obama's Press Conference:
CBSNews.com's 100 Days Webcast With Katie Couric:
Recap, Analysis & Reaction:
