Reporter's Note: President Barack Obama was inaugurated on January 20th, and on the same day I started writing a letter a day to the White House. So far neither of us has shown any signs of giving up.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

Hey, hey, hey! Big time snaps all around for the big accomplishment! Don’t know what I’m talking about? It’s your half year celebration day! As you may notice from the number on this letter and a little quick math, you have now served one-half of your first year in office, or one-eighth of your entire term.

Well, I suppose to be technical, you get an extra half-day before you hit the half way mark, but this is as close as I can get to congratulating you on the moment. In addition, if you are re-elected everything has to be reset to an 8-year scale, and if you are not re-elected…um, that last few months of this term won’t be exactly productive. You’ll feel kind of how Biden feels all the time. But let’s not go there…let me just go back to where I was, wishing you a day of celebration for all you have accomplished.

Of course, that’s where it gets sticky, doesn’t it? Because you may have noticed some pretty radically different assessments of what can be checked off of the old Presidential Chore List…(or the PCL, as the Secret Service calls it.)

When I listen to your press office, it sounds like you’ve done everything but serve hot cinnamon rolls to America and come up with a swine flu vaccine in your spare time; and to hear the Republicans tell it, the only reason you are showing up at the office at all is to engineer the destruction of the country you were elected to lead. I don’t want to be too skeptical, but I’m catching at least a little whiff of hyperbole on both sides.

The truth, as best I can figure, seems to be somewhere in that very broad middle. The economy is still a mess. The wars are far from settled. Health care reform, energy policy changes, the deficit…well, let’s just say they don’t seem to be rocketing in a positive direction yet. But please notice that I said “YET,” because any rational person knows that such huge problems take time to fix; a good bit more than six months. You are wise to remind people of this as often as you do. (Hey, here’s an idea: How about putting a big clock out front of the White House? It could says something like, “We’re making improvements to America. Please be patient!”)

Now, whether your policies are pointed the right direction; I leave that to you and the rest of the debaters in DC to sort out. But for the moment, once again, congratulations; 182 days down…only 1,277 or so to go!

Call if you have a minute amid the celebrations.

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.