The first 100 days of the Obama administration have created more questions than answers on his performance. The gap between what was promised and what has been delivered is gaping!

On the economic side, Obama promised fiscal restraint and elimination of "pork barrel" earmarks. Instead, after only three months he has run up a larger projected national budget deficit than his predecessor managed to do in eight years. His 2010 budget is the largest in history at $3.6 trillion, and the recently signed stimulus bill ($787 billion) carried more than 8,000 earmarks. So much for campaign promises!

In foreign affairs, the president's performance has been even more suspect. His first telephone call as president to any head of state was to Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian leader, and his first interview with any news organization was with Al Arabia TV.

This is the same president who ordered closure of Guantanamo prison with no plan for placement of inmates, and who has begun dismantling the global detention/interrogation network set up by the CIA for suspected terrorists.

On a recent trip to Europe (G20 Summit), Obama turned down an invitation by French President Sarkozy to visit Normandy, France, to honor American war dead but instead found time for a visit to the Muslim country of Turkey where he criticized past U.S. foreign policy and announced to the world that America is not a Christian nation.

He backed this up with his later announcement to personally withdraw from participation in the traditional National Day of Prayer in Washington, D.C., on May 9.

The overall pattern of behavior by this president should raise concerns not only about his performance but whether this is really the kind of change we were told we can believe in!

David H. Edmunds

Charlottesville, Va.