The First 100 Days

A brilliant NY Times blog traces the first 100 days of 5 former Presidents, comparing them to President Obama.
by Charlie Leck

Richard Nixon was a familiar face on the national scene when he was inaugurated as President in 1969 – Vice President for eight years, a Congressman before that, and a failed election run for Governor of California. It was so unlike the fresh, unknown face of Barack Obama. Does one or the other guaranty more success in the Presidency? There was no greater failed tenure in office than that of Richard M. Nixon who resigned in disgrace.

Of Nixon, Roger Morris wrote the following:

“America had elected a familiar, reassuring figure to the presidency, only to find a stranger in the Oval Office.”

That comes from a wonderful blog section in the NY Times, called 100 Days, where you can read and chime in about these first 3 months of the Obama service as President. Those of you who remain excited about the possibilities of Obama’s leadership will enjoy keeping up. If presidential history interests you, this will be one of the finest blogs you’ll ever find.

Here’s how that blog explains itself:

About 100 Days
As Barack Obama readies to take the office of president, which of his predecessors offers the best model for getting off on the right foot? The 100 Days blog seeks to answer just that question during Mr. Obama's first three months in office. Five presidential biographers will discuss the early days of five 20th-century presidents – Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan – shedding new light on the struggles faced by those men entering the Oval Office and comparing their experiences with those Mr. Obama will face in his first 100 days.

For at least the next few months, put this on your must-read list.