After Obama's first 100 days, now comes the hard part

WASHINGTON -- The second 100 days?

The phrase lacks the resonance of the first 100 days, the opening period that sets the tone, signals the priorities and provides early clues to the course of a presidency. Even so, the next stretch of Barack Obama's time in the White House, from Wednesday until about the time Congress begins its summer recess, looms as a period no less critical in how his tenure ultimately will be judged.

Since his inauguration 14 weeks ago, Obama has thrown a remarkable number of balls into the air — committing trillions of dollars in spending and dramatically extending the reach of the federal government in the economy. He has launched rescue plans for automakers and beleaguered banks, outlined timelines to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq and send them to Afghanistan, and reversed his predecessor's policies on everything from stem-cell research to the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Now those balls are coming down. At a town hall-style meeting in suburban St. Louis on Wednesday, Obama plans to deliver a progress report and outline the administration's agenda going forward. He'll hold his third prime-time news conference that night in the East Room.

"These are going to be important months," says David Axelrod, one of Obama's closest White House advisers. "I'll stipulate that the next 100 days aren't going to be any easier in certain ways than the first 100. We know that."

Axelrod and other White House officials say it will be critical to show continued action on the economy and nurture hope of a turnaround, even as the unemployment rate probably worsens and home foreclosures continue. One key to public support: Vigilance over spending of the $787 billion stimulus package to avoid scandal and waste.

"If you were going to name it in a book, you'd call the first 100 days 'Laying the Groundwork,' " says Douglas Brinkley, a Rice University historian who has written volumes chronicling presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

"You're planting seeds," Brinkley says. "The image of Obama's first 100 days is almost Michelle putting organic seeds in the ground. In the second 100 days, people are expecting things to grow."

During the next three months:

•The future of the U.S. auto industry will become clear, or at least clearer. On Thursday, Chrysler hits a government-imposed deadline for restructuring that will determine whether it's eligible for billions more dollars in aid. General Motors, which has 30 days after that to show progress, on Monday announced plans to close 13 plants, eliminate thousands of dealerships and swap bank debt for stock.

•The results of federal "stress tests" on banks are to be released next week, providing a measure of their health and an indication of whether more action is needed to stabilize them.

• Capitol Hill hearings on legislation to control health care costs and expand coverage are slated for summer, a test of whether the bills can command enough consensus to make it through Congress this year.

•Most of the 21,000 additional U.S. troops and trainers Obama has promised for Afghanistan will arrive there as officials prepare for presidential and provincial council elections set for August.

Then there are the developments the White House can't control or predict.

During his first 100 days, Obama found himself in a standoff with pirates who had taken an American sea captain hostage, and he's now dealing with a global outbreak of swine flu.

He faces pressure from some congressional Democrats for an investigation into brutal interrogations of terrorist suspects during the Bush administration, an inquiry that could fuel partisan tempers and make progress on other issues more difficult.

So far, he hasn't had a showdown with congressional Democrats on a major issue, but that time surely is coming.

During the next 100 days, intra-party tensions could build on such causes as Obama's push to curtail budget earmarks for pet projects and the desire by Hispanic leaders and others to move quickly on providing a path to legal status for illegal immigrants.