44, Day 47: What Do You Have Stuffed in Your Mattress?

An ongoing log of the daily activities of the 44th president of the United States during his first 100 days:

-President Obama used his Saturday radio and internet address not to set the stage for another initiative, but to offer some reassuring words for a worried nation. "We've experienced great trials before," Obama said. "And with every test, each generation has found the capacity to not only endure, but to prosper--to discover great opportunity in the midst of great crisis. That is what we can and must do today. And I am absolutely confident that is what we will do."

-The president, in an interview with The New York Times, offered some guidance to those Americans facing difficult economic times. Think about your savings and focus on the long-term, Obama told the newspaper. But just don't go overboard. "What I don't think people should do is suddenly stuff money in their mattresses and pull back completely from spending ... I don't think that people should be fearful about our future. I don't think that people should suddenly mistrust all of our financial institutions because the overwhelming majority of them actually have managed things reasonably well."

-Speaking from Air Force One on his way back to Washington from an event in Columbus, Ohio, Obama also told the Times that the U.S. military would start to reach out to moderate elements of the Taliban because he said the war in Afghanistan is not on the path to victory.

-Obama and his family are back at Camp David for the weekend, the second visit for the First Family at the presidential retreat in Maryland. His predecessor, George W. Bush loved the place, so much so that he spent a total of 487 days--about 17 percent of his two terms office--at Camp David. Maybe the new president should check the mattresses while he's there.

by J. Jennings Moss

Sources: The White House, the New York Times, CBSNews.com