A review of the first 100 days offers glimpses into [Mitt Romney]'s strengths and his style. But it also reveals signs of difficulty and challenge that await him. Here's a closer look at Romney's early performance in some key areas:

Romney seems to have convinced key lawmakers of the need for government reform - no small task, given the stake many incumbents have in the status quo. At this early stage, however, most of Romney's proposals have not been endorsed by the Legislature.

His declaration that he could eliminate $2 billion in wasteful spending and inefficiencies was denounced by independent analysts and legislative leaders, who noted that Romney relied on a host of new fees and revenues from one-time transactions to balance his budget. And Romney himself conceded that he could only get to that figure by including new revenue.