Reporter's Note: President Barack Obama says he wants ideas from Americans. You know, if everyone sent a nickel with his or her suggestion, he’d pocket 15 million dollars. Now there’s an idea. Until he decides to do that, however, I’ll continue with a letter a day.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was pleasant, with no arguments over the TV remote. Ha! I was just thinking about that. “I’m sorry, Michelle, we’re not watching a rerun of Big Love. I have to watch the playoffs. It’s in the Constitution.”

As I mentioned in a previous missive, we had the in-laws in for our younger daughter’s confirmation. Nice ceremony, nice dinner afterward, and we celebrated Mother’s Day a week early with my Mother-in-Law since we were all together. In honor of the swine flu scare we even enjoyed a platter of bacon that just could not be beaten! Then I went for a great run in the rain with my elder daughter. Just what Dads live for, eh?

Enough about play, I noticed the Republicans were at work this weekend; launching a new nationwide initiative to reconnect with voters, rework their platform, reassess their leadership; all the things that the losing party usually does after a big election. (Of course I mean after getting drunk and blaming the media…)

I’m sure some of your Dem pals are yukking it up over this, just as some Repubs did over you Dems when they were running the show. And I must say there is almost nothing more dangerous and foolhardy. You were quite right to offer those words of caution: Politics can change quickly.

After Ronald Reagan and during the first George Bush’s presidency, I can’t even tell you how many Republicans were digging the grave and strapping on their dancing shoes, convinced that the Democratic Party could not recover. Then along came Bill Clinton.

And right now, as disorganized, marginalized, and frustrated as Republicans are, bet your boots they will not remain that way. (Btw: Do you have boots? I’ve never seen you in them.) Some of it is just the “graduation toward the mean” that I so often talk about. Statistically, everything wants to work back toward average, so a wise person treats both great success and great failure with suspicion.

Part of it is also this: Losing brings freedom. Losers can try new ideas, groom new leaders, test new messages, because they are not burdened with proving their merit as the winners are, and they are not bound by promises they made in order to win.

Reconnecting with, listening to, and asking what voters want is easy and smart in politics. Actually running the government is hard. Your party has the hard job right now. And the other party? With no real grasp on the reins of power right now, they’ve got every day, all day to plot and plan their return. So I’ll give you the same advice I’d give to any President or any person: Respect your opponents, even if you disagree with every word they say. Never write them off as dead, because sure as sunshine they will rise again, like those zombies in the old horror movies, or Danny Bonaduce. You may think you deserve and have earned the seat of power. But they don’t.

I’ve kind of rattled on a bit with this and can probably express it better in conversation, so call if you want. But not during the Caps games! Did you see that this weekend? Woo hoo! “Lord Stanley, do you mind if we borrow your cup?”

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.

Reporter's Note: President Obama likes playing basketball and so do I. He has not, however, called me up for a game, so I am passing the time until the invitation comes by writing a letter a day to the White House.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

I’ve come to believe over the years that there are at least two different views of friendship in this world. I don’t mean acquaintanceship. All those yahoos you met when you were raising money and visiting diners are just that; people you met. I’m talking about true friendship. I’m talking about, “Let’s go out back and I’ll tell you a funny story about Biden,” friendship.

Some people believe a friend stands by you all the time, through thick and thin, and will be on your side in any dispute. They believe friends, because they refuse to let anything come between them, are a force to be reckoned with and have less to fear from the larger community than an individual might.

Other people, however, believe a friend stands by you all the time, through thick and thin, and will be on your side…as long as you are in the right. These people believe the true value of a true friend is not that he or she will always agree with you, but that this person cares about you enough to tell you when you are wrong.

I’m in the second crowd. I want my friends to like me, but I trust them to shoot straight with me. If I am doing something I ought not, or I am being cruel or thoughtless or self-centered, I want someone who cares about me to let me know. Accordingly, I try to behave in a way that my friends, whom I have chosen in large part for their own strength of character and decency, will approve of.

To me, the very essence of their friendship is that it brings out the best in me, instead of validating the worst. When you become powerful (and heaven knows, you’ve got that nailed now) it is tricky to know whom your friends are.

But here is a simple test. If someone in your circle always agrees with you, never challenges you, and always makes you feel like you are the smartest, best, most accomplished President of all time, that person is not a friend. That person is an untrustworthy assassin. He or she is there to slaughter your intelligence, destroy you values, and crucify your judgment; because nothing does that quicker than an ego well-watered with flattery.

The critic who always tells you something is amiss, is not to be trusted either. But embrace the person who tells you that you are wrong now and then. That person is a true friend. And the more powerful you become, contrary to what some might think, the more you need friends like that.

That’s it for today. Going to enjoy my Sunday. Play a little guitar. Walk the dog. Maybe get some ice cream. Life is good in America. Call when you can.

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.

Reporter's Note: Every day I sit down to write a letter to President Obama, offering him my thoughts and suggestions. In turn, he sometimes gets a brief, faraway look in his eyes when he is making a speech and I think, “Hmmm. I wonder if he’s thinking of something I said.”

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

Forget about the economy, the military, health care, foreign affairs, or the NBA playoffs. Now you have something on your hands that requires real attention. It’s time to pick a new Supreme Court Justice. Wow! For all the exciting Presidential things you get to do, that’s got to be one of the best. I mean, obviously, aside from having traffic stopped for six blocks in all directions by Secret Service every time you want to go grab a burger; because I’m sure that’s pretty happening too.

Picking a player to fit into the SUPCO roster is big league, and I just know I would not be any good at it. First, I’d have a terrible urge to get funny, and people take this so seriously I’m sure they would fail to see the humor in my selection of Emeril. “Bam! We’re going to kick these rulings up a notch! In my opinion, you’re guilty of not enough flavor!”

Second, and more seriously, I don’t know whom I would trust enough to give him/her the job. My family, for example, has some great folks in it, but it would just be ethically wrong to give any relative the job, considering how many dealings we’ve had with the parole board. My friends? I’ve got some great ones, but none who would take the position even on a dare. Well, maybe Kevin would. But he’d get so goofy on the bench he’d make Emeril look like Scalia.

The mere fact that I have absolutely no business making such a choice however does not inhibit me from advising you on what to do. (BTW: This is very similar to my view of professional sports.)

Pick someone who inspires your faith in his or her intelligence, values, and decency.

Pick someone you respect even when you disagree with that person; so much that you’ll even consider the possibility that he/she is right and you are wrong.

Pick someone who does not care about politics.

Pick someone who reads a lot, and reads history in particular.

Pick someone with a good sense of humor.

Don’t pick me. I’m sure you are considering it, and I’m flattered, but trust me it would end badly for both of us.

That’s it, And frankly as I reread it, that’s not a bad list of qualities to seek in any person for any job. But of course you’ll be the judge of that. Ha!

Enjoy the weekend. Call if you get a moment. The in-laws are in town, so you know I can use the break.

Regards,

Tom

Find more Foreman Letters here.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

You judge a restaurant by the happiness of the diners, not the fame of the chef. The success of the shepherd is the health of his sheep. The best coach in the world is a failure if his team folds.

A lot has been written in the past week about President Obama’s first hundred days in office, and frankly I think most of the political pundits are missing the point. The real measure of any president is not how he is doing, but instead it is how we are doing. The people of the country. Normal Americans.

Now of course it is patently unfair to lay blame for the nation’s problems at President Obama’s door. We’ve built our economic, international, and infrastructure woes over many years and even Houdini could not have slipped out of this trap in a hundred days. In addition, President Obama has taken bold steps to address many of the issues confronting the country. You may agree or disagree with his ideas, but he has undeniably been a man of action.

Now, that said, let’s look at how our first hundred days have gone.

If jobs are issue number one, we’ve still got a big job in front of us. Since that chilly Inauguration Day, more or less, unemployment has risen from around seven percent to eight-and-a-half percent. Thirteen million Americans are now out of work. Even more if you count whichever New Jersey Devils will get bounced after that early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Last year twenty-five banks collapsed. This year already twenty-nine have shuttered their ATM’s, swept up the Saturday morning doughnut crumbs, and called it a bust. This is nothing like the Great Depression in which banks were falling like the Castro brothers at a hokey-pokey dance, but it’s still not a good thing.

The stock market? It’s up. It’s down. Shake the Magic 8 Ball and ask what’s coming next. Who knows?

And as for housing, the mortgage mess where all of this started; well, that’s not getting better either. We keep hearing contradictory reports of housing prices stabilizing, then climbing, then falling again. It all depends on where you live and whether your job took the axe. This we know: More than 800-thousand homes have jumped into the foreclosure parade since the first of this year. That’s almost twenty-five percent higher than the foreclosures we saw in the same period last year.

It says a lot about Barack Obama, that despite all those terrible numbers, polls show Americans are substantially more confident that this president will make things better. But as good as his first hundred days have been; ours have been rough.

Reporter's Note: You might think President Barack Obama would be getting more advice than a rookie driver on a Boston rotary, but he has asked for the help of his citizens on that front, and I’m putting the proverbial pedal to the metal with a letter a day to the Commander in Chief’s office.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

OK, I’ve held it in as long as I can. I didn’t want to upset your hundred-versary or distract you from your big news conference, but now I’ve got to speak up about this pig flu business. I’m just not worried about it much. I’m sure you and Joe Biden spent half the night jawing at each other over what he said about the dangers of sneezy seatmates on airplanes, and I realize you have to play it safe with the general public.

But I’ve been reading an awful lot, talking with epidemiologists (fun? oh yeah!), and it just doesn’t look like that big of a deal, even though it could obviously become a bigger deal down the line. So here’s my advice: Don’t scare us unless you really must.

I’m not accusing you of anything I’m just saying I’ve grown tired over too many public officials, too many times, saying the sky is falling. We hear all these breathless warnings every time a hurricane starts swirling, a disease bubbles up, the stock market dips, or a tainted cookie appears in Iowa. A friend at the office calls it “the panic de jour.”

Granted, all these issues are serious, but if every single one produces yet another round of screaming in the streets, like an old Godzilla movie or a shoe shopping trip by Rosie O’Donnell, eventually everyone will just close their windows and start ignoring the warnings. I’m not letting my own team off the hook. We media types do plenty to whip up fear when we really should not, and when we get together with politicians who want some headline it’s hot times at the old hysteria corral.

Maybe it’s because I’m generally healthy, or maybe I’ll fall victim to the evil Franken-swine tomorrow and become the ironic butt of a thousand health department jokes. Maybe. But probably not. And this could be a little backwash from the Bush years and all that Homeland Security Red-Yellow-Orange level business, but I’m asking for some help here.

Inform me. Don’t alarm me. We’ll both sleep easier. Call if you can. I’m pretty much over my cold, btw. But I do have an odd yearning for truffles…ha!

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.

Reporter's Note: As President Obama launches into his second hundred days in office, I remain undaunted. He asked for advice, and until he takes back the request, I will take to the keyboard every day with a letter to the White House.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

Nice job on the news conference last night! Had to be a lot of pressure, what with the big hundred-day-milestone, the economy still rattling like Uncle Tony’s fake knee, and now pig flu sweeping the land. Remember, when facing my journalistic brethren you can’t ever let the sweat show or they’ll go after you like a terrier on a tennis shoe. Especially that Ed Henry. (I saw him light into a congressman once with such questions that the poor guy wound up in a corner of the Dirksen building whimpering like a school girl and begging for a Jonas Brothers t-shirt.) But you seem to have sussed that crowd out, so just hold it steady and you’ll be fine.

If the Presidency were a sporting event, (and of course it is!) this would be a break between periods; a time to review the game plan, grab a little water, and pump up for the next round, so I’ve drawn up a list of the five most dangerous items to watch for as the next hundred days start toddling by.

1) The TARP Money – Seriously, this program is so badly stacked for potential ripoffs and waste, if your money team does not completely slam some cuffs on it and get it under control, it could turn into a scandal that will dog you until the cows come home. Assuming we can still afford cows...

2) Afghanistan – I know you are already watching this one closely, but here’s the thing: Just saying you’ll send more troops to bring things under control without making it clear precisely what that means could turn into an open-ended drain on the military and your political reputation back home, as both the Russians and former President Bush (the 2nd one) can tell you.

3) Health Care Reform – You want it, you promised it, you believe in it and you have to proceed with it. But watch your back. There are plenty of powerful folks out there with their own ideas about this, and trust me, they’ve got a whole different blueprint.

4) Overreaching – Everyone knows you have big ideas and confidence. Make sure they don’t lead to a big head and overconfidence; both are way too easy to come by for anyone who sits in the Oval Office.

5) Culs de sac – Like I said, you have big ideas; that’s why people voted for you. They want your big visions for big change, and if you allow yourself to be lured into small fights or secondary issues too much, they’ll start resenting it and asking where Mr. Hope went. Washington specializes in stupid little fights over stupid little issues, and that has dragged down plenty of promising leaders over the years. So you might want to keep that in mind.

The only other suggestion I have to kick of this next session is that you might want to invite Prince to the White House. And then you might want to call me to come over and hear him play. Ha! But seriously, that would be fun…

Call when you can. Onward and upward!

Regards,

Tom

For more of the Foreman Letters, go here.

Drew Trachtenberg
Executive Producer, CNN Business News

In the 100 days since President Obama has been in office, the major stock market averages are mixed.

The Dow industrials are down 96 points, or 1.1%, during that time. They closed today at 8,185 (preliminary), but have bounced back sharply from a low on March 9th of 6547.

Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are higher over the 100 day period. The Nasdaq is up 12 percent.

In today’s session, the major averages all rallied on hopes that the economic slide is moderating. Despite a worse than expected report on first-quarter GDP, there were indications in the report that the economy has reached its low-point.

The Dow closed at its highest level since February 9th.

But Treasury bonds sold off following the Federal Reserve’s announcement about the economy, sending the yield on the 10-year note to 3.09%, its highest level this year.

Katrina vanden Heuvel
The Nation

As we mark the first 100 days of his presidency, it is staggering to consider the enormous challenges President Obama inherited from his predecessor, arguably the worst President ever. Can the devastation wrought by an eight-year nightmare be sorted out in 100 Days? Of course it can't. That's why Obama himself talked about needing to measure his accomplishments not by the first 100 days, but by the first 1,000.

Yet as we near this iconic marker - whether one is disappointed by some key appointments (read on), the size of the recovery bill, escalation in Afghanistan, the bank bailout plan or other issues - this President must be given credit for hitting the ground running and confronting challenges head on. Brutal and fundamental fights still lie ahead - on energy, healthcare, the budget, to name a few.

Obama understood the power - both symbolic and real - of swift, smart action, even within the first 100 hours of his inauguration. He pledged to close Guantanamo and the CIA black sites. He quickly passed a strong recovery bill - even if it was smaller than it should have been; that bill and his proposed budget begin to lay out a new blueprint for economic recovery and reconstruction, and a break with ill-conceived dogma about deficit reduction that has defined and limited economic policy for thirty years. He repealed the global gag order, took steps to restore science to its proper place with regard to stem cell research and addressing climate change, and has embarked on a substantive transformation to a clean energy economy.

Read More...

John Feehery
Special to CNN

The departure of Arlen Specter from the Republican Party puts an exclamation point on a rough first hundred days for the national GOP in the Obama era.

While many conservatives will say good riddance to the Pennsylvania senator, other leaders understand that without the Arlen Specters of the world staying in the Republican fold, the chances of regaining a majority coalition are severely diminished.

Specter would have lost in a Republican primary to Pat Toomey, a firebrand conservative who used to run the anti-tax group Club for Growth. That is why he decided to become a Democrat.

Keep Reading...

Obama (second right) at the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul during his bridge-building and sight-seeing trip to Turkey.

Arsalan Iftikhar | BIO
Founder, TheMuslimGuy.com

“To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” When President Barack Obama said that during his January 2009 presidential inaugural address, he sent a clear message to the world's 1.3 billion Muslims.

A few weeks ago in Ankara, he fulfilled his promise to give a major foreign policy speech from a capital in a Muslim-majority country in the first 100 days of his presidency. Obama told the Turkish Parliament that, “The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam.”

So President Obama has done a remarkable job in his outreach to the greater Muslim world, where perception of the United States had suffered immensely from the garbled rhetoric and actions of the George W. Bush administration.

And many American leaders are following suit to bridge the diplomacy gap with the greater Muslim world. A group of 34 - including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Republican Congressman Vin Weber - suggested in a recent report, Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World, some ways to improve US-Muslim relations. Moroccan Ambassador Aziz Mekouar called the report “a most constructive blueprint for building relationships of cooperation between the United States and the Muslim world.”

The report suggests that the U.S. partner with governments, multilateral institutions and philanthropic organizations to make education a more powerful engine for employment and entrepreneurship in the Muslim world. The U.S. and Muslim governments can “gain credibility and help transform a high-risk youth generation into a broad and deep pool of skilled workers."

Albright spoke about the report at a dinner with about 80 ambassadors, journalists and political leaders on the state of US-Muslim relations within the Obama administration. The event was hosted by Moroccan Ambassador Mekouar, and included a remarkable range of players, from former Bush National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, to Syrian Ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha to Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention.

“When I became Secretary of State, we did not have Muslims employed in the State Department,” Albright said that evening. “I went back to my notes, when I was writing my book…and I had various notes which read, ‘Learn more about Islam’.”

Albright gave Obama an "A+" for his engagement with the Muslim world, but said better engagement “cannot be done without the people in this room.” Laughing, she added, “We have our work cut out for us.”

We do indeed, Madame Secretary.

Job creation and economic development are two ways Obama can expand his reach. Investing here could reduce the threat of extremism by providing youth with opportunities for employment. Supporting effective governments and civic participation, as the report suggests, will help, too.

As Obama moves forward, it is imperative that his administration ensure that his words to the Muslim world turn into tangible policy changes on the ground.

As we Americans consider the first 100 days of his presidency, let's work together so that his words become a collective "audacity of hope" in every corner of the world for the next 100 days, months and years.

Editor's Note: Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, founder of www.TheMuslimGuy.com and is a contributing editor for Islamica magazine in Washington.

Program Note: Tune in tonight for full coverage of the First 100 days at 7 p.m. ET.

Ed Rollins
CNN Contributor

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.

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Reporter's Note: I’ve written a letter to President Obama every day since he was inaugurated. He asked for advice, and I’ve given it. What he’s done with it is anyone’s guess, but I get suspicious every time I see the White House gardeners spreading mulch.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

Congratulations! You made it to the end of your freshman semester, or whatever you call the first hundred days in Presidential Land.

I’m sitting at my desk pondering two things:

1) What is the difference between the regular sushi platter and the deluxe sushi platter? I splurged on the deluxe from the food court at Union Station today, in celebration of this anniversary, and for the life of me I can’t figure out what the extra $1.29 went for.

2) How has my life changed in the past hundred days?

I think that is really the question for voters. And in all honesty, the answer for me is “not so much.”

I’m neither more optimistic nor more pessimistic about the economy. (That’s mainly because I’m not convinced Presidents really affect the economy one way or the other.) That said, I started being a little more careful with money about the time you came into office, and I still am. I’m also much more aware of how many people are out of work. That’s not your fault, of course, but like I said, I’m aware of it.

Republicans (“Now available with 100 percent less Arlen Specter!”) keep saying you’ve made the country less safe, but on my street everything seems about the same as it was before you came to office. I did see some shady teenagers near the 7-11, but they’re always hanging around. Your pledge to leave Iraq drew some short headlines and I’ve noticed liberal neighbors smiling a bit more; but if you get trapped in a long grind over Afghanistan and Pakistan they’ll be grousing soon enough.

Bipartisanship? Well, that’s a flop, but frankly I never expected an ounce of change on that front. Whenever anyone says they expect more bipartisanship in DC, I tell them “Yeah, and I expect to find a manatee in my bathtub.”

A lot of people say they feel more hopeful, more confident that the country is heading the right direction, and I won’t rain on their parade. Clearly the direction we were going in the past few years was not the right one for most of our citizens, and I’m pleased that the majority now feels encouraged.

But truth told, I suspect my first hundred days have been a little like yours. I’ve spent a lot of time getting used to the very idea that you are in office; about as much time studying your policies and trying to figure out which way you are really headed; and now I’m ready for your Presidency, for good or bad, to really begin.

I’ll understand if you are unusually busy and can’t call, but a ring before the end of the week would be lovely. Are you having a cake?

Regards,

Tom

For more of the Foreman Letters, go here.

Reporter's Note: I am writing a letter a day to our President, Barack Obama. He has asked Americans for advice on running the country, and I will remind his staff of that if the Secret Service starts asking questions.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

Swine flu? Seriously, like my mother always said, sometimes you just can’t win for losing. Here you are preparing to celebrate the big 100 day mark and suddenly we’re talking pandemics. No matter what the Republicans say, I’m pretty sure this is not your fault.

Actually I did a lot of research on the subject this afternoon, and when it comes to getting ready for things like this (and frankly, what could be “like this” except a Love Boat reunion?) both political parties, private industry, and the public have something in common: None of us really wants to get the job done. Back in the 1970’s, when we first had our piggies scared off over swine flu, the government launched a big program to get ready for the next epidemic to come down the pike. We were going to revamp our vaccine development, step up our production capacity, and as it usually is with government, “never get caught short again.”

But when it comes to matters of public health, we’re more forgetful than my great Uncle Buell. As soon as the crisis passes, suddenly all the old arguments against preparing for the future come to bear. It’s too expensive. There are too many uncertainties. No one wants to pay for it. Who knows if it will ever happen again? Yadda yadda yadda.

Last fall, more than thirty years after the first swine flu scare, the Congressional Budget Office issued a report that said, in a nutshell, we’re still a long, long way from being ready if a pandemic comes. We still don’t have nearly enough capacity to produce vaccines. We are behind the Europeans in developing drugs that will stretch the supplies we have. And the only reason is us: As one doctor put it, while we’ve sat around for thirty years figuring out ways to avoid this thorny issue, viruses have been working every second of every day to find our weaknesses and take us down. You’ve got to hand it to them.

Anyway, assuming this one doesn’t clean our clocks, maybe that’s something for all of us to pencil in for the next hundred days: Let’s get serious about getting ready, before the next big health bug comes crawling.

Hope all is well. Wash your hands. And call if you can.

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.

Nicholas Kristof
The New York Times

One hundred days in office, President Obama has done very well in international affairs with one glaring exception — Darfur. There’s increasing nervousness among Africa-watchers that Obama is neglecting Darfur, or perhaps moving to a more accommodating policy. As the Sudan Tribune just put it, “US State Dept. moves toward appeasement policy with Khartoum.” Here’s what the Tribune said:

The United States of America is positioning itself to become “friends” with the Government of Sudan, seeing this approach as the best way to improve the situation in Darfur and reach a political settlement, according to a closed briefing given by Special Envoy Scott Gration at the US State Department on April 20, 2009.

Read more...

Julian E. Zelizer
Special to CNN

When President Obama moved into the White House, press speculation immediately began about what his first 100 days would look like.

Journalists as well as scholars looked to history to speculate about which models of presidential leadership he might follow.

As we reach the end of the first 100 days this week, Obama remains much of a mystery. If we are talking grades, the best we can give him at this point is an "incomplete."

Given that the first 100 days is only an artificial marker - it's been used since the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt - it is not surprising that it is too early to reach sweeping conclusions about what this presidency will be. It is worth remembering that Jimmy Carter, whose presidency would become deeply troubled by his second year, ended his first 100 days with high approval ratings and positive media coverage.

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Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee
For Human Events

April 29th marks President Obama’s first 100 days in the Oval Office. It is a time to reflect on how the president has been able to deliver on his many campaign promises. Make no mistake - the policies we’ve seen come out of Washington now that the Democrats occupy both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue represent some of the most reckless spending, borrowing and taxing America has ever seen, with a fair share of broken promises thrown in for good measure.

But I believe President Obama’s first 100 days in office is more than simply an opportunity to provide a report card on his term thus far. I believe his first 100 days offer America a frightening glimpse of the liberal far-left’s true goals for our nation - to mount an all - out assault on the principles of capitalism and free markets that are the backbone of our country and transform America into a “collectivist,” or “socialist” nation.

Led by Nancy Pelosi - whose San Francisco-brand of liberalism can now run unchecked - the Democrats have demonstrated an arrogance of power that uses the economic recession as a smokescreen to enact their liberal agenda.

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Reporter's Note: President Obama is rapidly closing in on the 100 day mark in his tenure as the most famous resident of Pennsylvania Avenue. And yet he has not rescinded his request for public suggestions on how to run the government. Not sure what to make of that, but I’m continuing with a letter a day to the White House.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

For all that uplifting talk of bipartisan cooperation from both parties back when you took office, I must say it looks like the trenches are being dug deeper than ever here in DC these days. Is it just me, or are you catching this vibe? On the economy, military matters, those torture memos, climate change, health care; Dems and Repubs are going at each other like old ladies on bingo night. The Sunday morning political shows have taken on the bonhomie of a Somalian pirate cruise ship.

I know that your guys blame the Repubs, and they blame the Dems; nothing new in that. Frankly when it comes to DC politicos, it’s always been like a room full of kindergartners explaining who started the fight that broke the vase. Granted, we’ve had some delicate issues on the table over which there is plenty of legitimate disagreement, but boy-howdy if it’s this bad during your “honeymoon” imagine what it will be like by October!

Aggghhh! Seriously, is it really that hard for grown human beings to work together on things?

Of course, the problem with bipartisanship is that while in theory it means people working together, in practice it usually means one side just trying to threaten, cajole, or bribe the folks on the other side into swallowing an idea they don’t much care for and will undercut as soon as they get a chance. But I suppose you’ve already nailed that concept.

I’m not real fond of the word “bipartisanship.” Sounds like one of those fancy Washington ways of saying “working together” or “playing nice.” Either one of those would have fit the bill just fine. Although considering that bipartisanship is a critter as rare as a white buffalo, I don’t suppose it matters what name we use. Like a cat, you can call it what you want, it’s not coming.

Keeping it short to start the week off. Hope all is well. You know what would be totally rocking? Scoring some dogs over at Ben’s. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about!

Call if you’re up for it.

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.

Reporter's Note: You would think President Obama would have more advisors than he knows what to do with. I mean, doesn’t everyone want to chat up the President? Nevertheless, he’s asked for advice from the citizens of the United States, and I’m responding with a letter a day.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

Your predecessor, or as he’s known in some Democratic circles “He who shall not be named,” made it a point of pride to say he paid no attention to polls. At times it is hard to imagine two Presidents more different from each other than you and Mr. Bush, but on that front, I think he was on to something.

Hold on! Don’t toss this one into the shredder just yet. Sure, it’s fair to say that maybe President Bush took it a tad too far. While he was busy taking one road, the rest of the country was heading another way, and arguably if he’d listened just a wee bit more his fellow Americans he would not have turned his party into the political equivalent of a auto salvage lot. (Mind you, Republicans have a remarkable way of bouncing back, and as much as your Dem pals may be hoping they stay on the wreck heap, I would not count on that.)

The point is, I’m sure you’ve heard all the typing going on out here in Media-land, (or as I like to call it, Oz) as everyone prepares their assessments of your first 100 days in office. You’re still riding high in the public approval ratings, so you know a lot of them are going to be generally positive. Or at least they’ll start that way. Then the nibbling will begin. They praise your quick action on the economy, then point out all the potential problems looming. They’ll laud your firm words on Iraq, then wring their hands over Afghanistan; which, I have to admit, I’m wringing my own hands over. You get the picture.

I don’t have any idea how much of that stuff you’ll read. But I know my daughters sometimes get a little tense when report card time comes around, and I always tell them the same thing. Don’t worry about it. Do your best. Learn every day, and trust that you’ll prove your merit when testing time comes. Pay attention to your grades, but only as general guide to make sure you are not straying too far from the path.

The measure of your Presidency will be its entire run, not just the first hundred days. I hope your Sunday is going well. If you are up for a game of hoops, give me a buzz…and I’ll school ya! Ha!

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.

Reporter's Note: On Pennsylvania Avenue, President Obama has asked Americans to help him run the country by sending him ideas. Frankly I’m close enough to bicycle over, but I continue posting a letter a day to the White House.

Troops from the United States fly over Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

I grew up in a military family, the son of an enlisted man. My late father spent more than twenty years in the Air Force and retired as a Senior Master Sergeant. In other words, he was one of the guys who actually got things done while the officers played golf. (Ha! My father-in-law, a former Navy officer, will let me hear about that crack.) To put it simply, it is in my DNA to mistrust Generals.

That said, I have spent so many hours studying military and political matters in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I must say I am convinced General David Petraeus is spot on when he says those two countries represent a greater challenge than Iraq.

You have already shown your commitment to stabilizing Afghanistan and dealing with the Taliban there. These are the people who gave Al Qaeda the base they needed to launch the 9-11 attacks. These are the people who, in the name of faith, want their citizens…especially women…to live as if the world is still revolving through the 15th century. And these are the people gaining power in that region, while the Afghans and Pakistanis who favor democracy, human rights, and peaceful international relations find themselves under siege.

If the Taliban continues to push in Pakistan, they could bring to life a modern nightmare: An extremist, unstable government prone to keeping the company of terrorists, in possession of nuclear weapons. And all the foreign affairs experts have told me stopping the Taliban’s march, as General Petraeus says, will certainly take more than guns: It will take food, education, roads, bridges, and likely years of support from an array of encouraging nations including ours. But faltering in our commitment the help these countries, they tell me, could set back the entire world. And I believe them.

Sorry for such a bummer on a Saturday, but thought it should be said. Call if you can.

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.

Reporter's Note: Our President is trying to raise a puppy, tend to two children, and restore the economy. No wonder he is asking Americans to pitch in with some ideas on how to get all that done. So I’m writing a letter a day to Pennsylvania Avenue.

Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

I was fixing a landscape light in our yard, and as I removed the top a swarm of little black ants came pouring out. My younger daughter squealed and ran, that scared the dog which took off with her, and I was left thinking about a story.

Some years back I enjoyed a conversation with the esteemed scientist, E.O. Wilson. He made his chops studying ants. As a kid he suffered an eye injury and he can’t see all that well, so he focused on a tiny world that he could keep in focus. Anyway, he developed extraordinary theories about how species may be genetically programmed so that some individuals will sacrifice themselves for the good of the collective community. (Obviously he’s never been to cheerleader tryouts, but still..) I don’t know how much I believe him, but I know if you step barefoot into a fire ant bed down south you’ll learn something about the power of teamwork pretty fast.

He gave me one of his signed books, and drew some little ants inside the cover. Ever since I’ve wondered why some individuals are more inclined to think of their society, while others are more inclined to think about themselves. (Not insignificant matters to ponder, I suspect, with all this turmoil over Wall Street, and CEO bonuses.)

I can’t say it’s a matter of intelligence. I’ve known some awfully smart people who are plenty selfish. It’s not education, religion, wealth, or where you are from either. I’ve known plenty of degree-holding-Bible-thumping-rich-folks-from-the-right-side-of-the-tracks who also more self-serving than a three-year-old with an ice cream cone.

So why is it that some people think more of the team and less of themselves? Frankly I don’t have a clue. What I do know is this: If you can surround yourself with folks who are more interested in doing the work than taking the credit; and more interested in the team’s success than their own, you’ll really have something.

Ha! Listen to me rattling: You’ve got the Taliban marching in Afghanistan, torture investigations at home, who knows what Biden is up to and here I am talking about ants!

I’ll let you get back to your work. Hope all is well, and as always, call if you get a moment.

Regards,

Tom

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.