President Barack Obama's first three months were marked by a string of successes. The next three were stormier.
At the six-month mark, he has had few outright defeats. But much of his agenda has recently gotten bogged down in the Washington morass he pledged to change, and by an electorate growing skeptical of some of his plans.
The work of governing, the ailing economy and an energized Republican opposition have brought Mr. Obama's early sky-high popularity down to earth. "It's a much slower and much tougher process than they may have imagined," said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart.
The White House no longer expects Republican support for its plans. Democrats, while squabbling at times, remain largely behind the administration. A handful of politically vulnerable Democrats are looking ahead to midterm elections, balking at votes on controversial health and energy bills.
Part of Mr. Obama's problem is that over the last months, Republicans who supported him last year have moved away from him. At this point, says Republican pollster Bill McInturff, "There's really strong partisan support and really strong partisan opposition."
In a burst of activity after his inauguration, Mr. Obama signed legislation that was opposed by the Bush administration but favored by Congress. That included expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program and making it easier to sue for gender discrimination in pay. The president lifted restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Mr. Obama's biggest victory was passage of the $787 billion economic-stimulus package.
Things have gotten tougher for him since the 100-day mark. A program to prevent mortgage foreclosures has helped fewer people than expected. Mr. Obama had said he would close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, but now is fighting a backlash from lawmakers who object to bringing the detainees into the U.S.
The financial crisis has eased, but the economy continues to be a stubborn and complex problem. The administration successfully navigated General Motors Co. and Chrysler LLC in and out of bankruptcy. But signs that the recession might be bottoming are accompanied by unemployment that remains high, ammunition used by Republicans to blast White House economic policies.
The coming months aren't likely to get easier. Mr. Obama faces fights to win congressional approval for a sweeping health-care overhaul. He scored a victory with House passage of an energy bill that would cap carbon emissions for the first time, but the measure faces a tough road in the Senate. A complex overhaul of the financial-regulatory system is slowed amid resistance by government regulators.
On foreign policy, he has made strides in improving America's image abroad, but changing the tone is proving easier than changing the world. Mr. Obama faces difficult questions over the nuclear ambitions of Iran, especially in the wake of the violent election protests there, and North Korea. Mr. Obama says he wants progress toward peace between Palestinians and Israelis by the end of the year, a problem that has festered for decades.
The president did end this week with a victory: The Senate confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court.
—Laura Meckler
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