Lots of people want to talk about Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office. Did he keep all his promises? Has he produced change as sweeping as Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Is the world a safer place to live in?

A lot of this is just hoopla. 100 days is an arbitrary number, one Obama’s dreams extend well beyond. The fledgling administration is already gearing up for health care reform and is continuing to battle the recession. Given his recent actions, it seems the new president also has bold new plans for foreign policy, plans that will reshape this country’s image not just for 100 days, not just for a presidency, but for decades to come.

But there’s meaning to the 100 days landmark, too. Part of this is symbolic. Although Obama has attempted to craft his image around Lincoln, the iconic president he’s most often compared to is FDR. Roosevelt’s major legislative actions took place in two legendary 100-day sprints, and if Obama hopes to effect similar social change, he’d be wise to exploit the momentum he gained from his overwhelming electoral mandate.

Obama’s first 100 days also provide us an outline of what to expect from the rest of his presidency. They serve as an indicator of what policies he’s after and the tactics he’ll employ. Most of all, they tell us something about the kind of leader he hopes to be.

On the first count, the Obama administration deserves mixed reviews. It has taken bold and decisive action at a time when the economy is paralyzed with fear. Obama has done much to restore our national honor by ordering Guantanamo closed and releasing the torture memos so damning to his predecessor.

On the other hand, the special interest stimulus bill made a mockery of economics by ladling wasteful pork to anyone with his hands extended. He also bungled several cabinet appointments, leaving his electorate questioning the abilities of its commander in chief.

Obama has done better on the second count.  As he promised in his campaign, Obama has done much to end the partisan rancor that has torn this country apart. He’s reached out to his colleagues across the aisle, and while Republicans as a whole have been loath to return the gesture, several have broken their party’s embargo of all things Obama and met the administration half way. Although several aides have employed the us-versus-them logic of the Bush years, for the most part Obama himself has remained positive and conciliatory.

 It’s on the final and most important count, though, that Obama has proven himself as a president.

Policies don’t make a presidency; leadership does. Presidents are their country’s moral compass and set the tone of the national dialogue. More than any president in at least 40 years, Obama has brought us together and inspired us to new heights.

No longer does our president look down on intellectuals; Obama has assembled one of the most academically brilliant staffs in this nation’s history.

Similarly, Obama supports an open debate amongst his advisers. Whereas President Bush filled his White House with similarly-minded ideologues, Obama has assembled a “team of rivals.”

He invited his erstwhile opponent, Hillary Clinton, to lead the State Department. He’s brought multiple Republicans into the cabinet, including Robert Gates, Bush’s Secretary of Defense. He regularly hears from free traders and labor advocates. Beltway insiders bump shoulders with outsiders.

This country faces multiple crises and President Obama understands that difficult problems require complex solutions that come not just from one or two advisers but from a synthesis of many competing viewpoints.

More than anything, Obama seems willing to engage the world as it is. He wants to do what’s best for this country and he struggles to find what that is.

In terms of policy, I agree with almost nothing the Obama administration has done. But I respect Barack Obama. I know that, while he may come to conclusions different from my own, he has taken into account not only my interests but those of my friends, family, and countrymen. I trust that whatever he decides, he’s considered every possible outcome.

Only time can tell whether history will consider Barack Obama an outstanding president. But after only 100 days, I’d say he’s doing just fine.

Nathaniel French is a sophomore theater studies and math double major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected]