Obama’s Hallmark Moment

President Barack Obama addressed a crowd in Missouri on Wednesday, stating he’s “pleased … but not satisfied” with his first 100 days in office and he’s eager to get beyond this “Hallmark holiday” in order to focus on the challenges that lie ahead.

Obama will address the nation in a press conference Wednesday night (airing on all major networks but Fox News).

AP:

In office just three months, the Democrat enters the next phase of his new presidency with a high job approval rating and a certain amount of political capital from his history-making election last fall. But he also faces a thicket of challenges as he seeks to move ahead on multiple fronts both foreign and domestic amid recession and war. He will need continued public support to accomplish his lofty goals.

“We have begun to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off, and we’ve begun the work of remaking America,” Obama proclaimed. But he acknowledged, “We’ve got a lot of work to do because on our first day in office, we found challenges of unprecedented size and scope.”

And, Obama countered critics who said he’s taking on too much, as he works to turn around the recession while revamping energy, education and health care in the United States.

“The changes that we’ve made are the changes we promised,” Obama said. “We’re doing what we said we’d do.”

Obama drew a standing ovation from the crowd as he noted his first 100 days, saying: “That’s a good thing.” He also hailed the day as “the beginning of another long journey,” given the challenges facing the country. And he said he’s pleased the public seems to understand that.

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