Bringing America Along for the Ride

I think 100 days is an arbitrary and not altogether useful point of demarcation. But sure, if you look at the stimulus package, which I think was very good, if you look at the omnibus spending bill he passed, if you look at this national-service bill, the public-lands law, he's getting a lot of great stuff done. More importantly, he's putting together a first-rate team. And like Clinton and Reagan and Roosevelt, all other successful presidents, he's bringing the American people along with him on the journey. There was a sense with Bush and Cheney of “We're in charge—you guys go out and shop and we'll take care of stuff,” that I think was really unfortunate. I give him very high marks and I couldn't be happier as a citizen.

Paul Begala is a CNN political contributor and a research professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. He was a senior strategist for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign and served as counselor to President Clinton in the White House.

Xtra Insight: Read other takes on the first 100 days from The Daily Beast's all-star team of analysts.