100 days.

SINCE PRESIDENT FRANKLIN Roosevelt, much has been made of a presidents first 100 days in office. And with all the problems President Barack Obama inherited, pundits everywhere are weighing in on his performance.

Some actually are thoughtful; some give moderate praise; some are skeptical about the eventual outcome of the new president's policies.

What they all are missing is that judging the man by what has happened in his first 100 days is impossible.

Obama's first priority has been to try to right the economy. Although the economy remains far from stable, signs that the worst of the recession may be behind us are increasing. Have his policies helped lead to a recovery or have they hindered it? History will be the judge.

Obama is a pragmatist. He's willing to try anything to keep the economy from hitting rock bottom. He has thrown out a lot of ideas and money, hoping something will work. His actions mirror those of FDR at the height of the Great Depression, and historians still argue about the efficacy of his programs.

What Obama has not done is sit still, doing nothing and hoping that the nation's economic problems will fix themselves or disappear. Even if some of his ideas are flawed and his expectations too high, his attempts, at the very least, have given Americans a sense of hope, a sense that he cares and is willing to do what is necessary to revive the economy.

Obama remains popular, and 72 percent of Americans now say they are optimistic about the next four years, according to one recent poll. Compare that sentiment with the gloom that spread across the country during his predecessor's final days in office.

However, President Obama's ambitious liberal agenda includes much that we disagree with, and much of what he proposes never will be implemented.

The problem with being a pragmatist is that, ultimately, Obama won't be as bad a leader as conservatives think and he won't be as good as liberals hope. That very quality of pragmatism may be what makes him an able president. Despite his liberal leanings, Obama knows that government cannot solve all our problems, but he recognizes that issues exist that only government can fully address. A few to consider: the environment, energy, health care and our continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In his short time in office, Obama has had to contend with myriad difficulties, even crises. He will face many more in the days to come. What will determine the success of Obama's presidency and the future of the country will be his performance in these coming weeks, months and years, not the actions taken during these first 100 days.