On Obama's first 100 days

Asked about the first 100 days of a hypothetical Obama administration at a fundraiser in Denver, Obama said he would focus on interim progress toward three key goals: troop withdrawals from Iraq, health care access for all and action on energy and climate change, according to a pool report of the fundraiser.

On Iraq, Obama said, the public should expect within 100 days of taking office he would convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff to devise a plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

He also set a goal of proposing legislation on his promise of affordable health care coverage available for all quickly upon arriving in the White House. "We need a bill...by March or April to get going before the political season sets in," Obama said.

Obama also promised to take early action on energy and climate change. "We will have to be immediately prepared to send a signal to the world" on alternative energy, he said.

Seems like a decent start to me. But notice Obama has committed himself to very little concrete action on any of these issues. Meeting with the Joint Chiefs, he may propose a 1 year delay on withdrawal plans. Specifics of any healthcare plan are notoriously difficult to formulate, and "sending a signal" isn't saying much at all.

I think it's healthy to remember Obama will be bringing far less sweeping change than people imagine.