Obama's first 100 days: Too early to tell

When measuring President Obama's first 100 days, it's important to separate reality from rhetoric. With inflated praise that rivals that of the Edsel's marketers, Obama's supporters have spent much of the past two years painting him in almost messianic terms. Consequently, his inability to completely fix the economy, end war, and ameliorate all human suffering in just over three months has been something of a disappointment. Even so, the conservative response to his presidency has seemed somewhat petty: The New York Post, for example, has chosen to mark the day with a list of "100 mistakes," including Obama's "reliance" on the Teleprompter and the fact that he didn't mention the Armenian genocide.

Admittedly, the President's first 100 days have not been completely transformative. Unemployment is still on the rise, home purchases are still exceedingly low, and the market, while no longer in free-fall, still displays a combination of sluggishness and skittishness that is profoundly worrying. However, while this news seems dire, it is worth noting that Obama's solutions don't pretend to be quick fixes: As numerous analysts have pointed out, it took years to get into a recession, and it will take years to get the economy back onto a firm and sustainable footing. Experience has shown that quick fixes are rarely permanent fixes.