Already

In only his first full day Obama made strides towards some of the cornerstone goals he outlined during his campaign and transition. Here is a round up of his days activities:

After meeting with Chief of Staff Emanuel to go over the daily schedule, Obama placed calls to several key Middle Eastern leaders. Later on he met with his economic team, several members of Pentagon leadership, and finally the point staff on American affairs in Iraq.

As for policy issues, Obama is already moving on the economy, working to freeze pay for senior white house staff and push his $825 billion recovery package through congress.

Most impressive of all was Obama's swift move to follow through on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. According to administration officials, executive orders are already being drafted to settle the matter.

It didn't take long for Republicans to knock on Obama's door. House minority leaders have already asked to meet with him to propose major changes to the recovery package.  More on that after their meeting on Thursday.

All in all, I'd say a very effective first day. Especially since he also made time to retake the presidential oath, putting any questions of legitimacy to rest.

Off to a fresh start, and 99 days left to prove his worth.

-Alexander Pagliaro

Today It Begins

Shortly after twelve o' clock noon today Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. Like every president before him going back all the way to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the first one hundred days of a presidents administration are often scrutinized as an assessment of the ground upon which a president and his administration will stand. For Obama, these hundred days may well be the most difficult of his life, and the most trying for any president in recent history. Running on a campaign of hope and change during a time of economic hardship is a powerful and inspiring tool. It also, however, creates very high expectations which Obama will now be held to.

Our goal here on this blog is to collect all news regarding the efforts of Obama and his administration over the next one hundred days and provide an objective evaluation of how his efforts match up with his promises and the public's expectations.

Coming soon: a collected list of those promises and expectations and a commentary on the inauguration ceremony.