-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama 's address to Congress was full of lofty promises to make unprecedented investments in government programs , even as he aims to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term . President Obama on Tuesday outlined an ambitious agenda to help revive the economy . But it takes more than a proposal to bring about real change . Will Obama be able to meet his goals ? CNN political analyst David Gergen says the answer will be `` one of the greatest political dramas of our time . '' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the budget Obama sends to Capitol Hill Thursday will help show how the president plans to tackle his ambitious agenda . Here 's a look at some of Obama 's goals , and what experts are saying about them . Economy Promise : `` To ensure that a crisis of this magnitude never happens again , I ask Congress to move quickly on legislation that will finally reform our outdated regulatory system . '' Promise : `` I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office . '' Promise : `` My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs . As you can imagine , this is a process that will take some time , but we have already identified $ 2 trillion in savings over the next decade . '' Analysis : Democratic strategist Lisa Caputo said so far , Obama is taking the right steps to revive the economy , but the country needs to see his plans put into action . He 's already passed a massive stimulus bill , and he has a housing bill and a banking regulatory reform bill in the works . `` He 's doing all the right things . Hopefully he 'll come forth with a balanced budget . ... He 's saying all of the right things . He 's got to do them , '' she said . Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins pointed out that what Obama did was put forth proposals , not an action plan . `` This was a speech about aspirations . There was not a strategy or the details . They may come later , but it 's an overly ambitious program , and if he can accomplish just the financial part of it , he 'll move the country forward , '' he said . The success of Obama 's budget goals will fall heavily on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , Rollins said . `` Can she control her members ? The last two years the Congress has controlled the spending , it 's been a Democrat Congress . It 's still a Democrat Congress and will be for the foreseeable future . There 's a lot of pet projects these people want , there 's a lot of entitlements that people are n't willing to cut , '' he said . Larry Winget , a personal finance expert , said he agrees with everything that Obama said needs to be done , but said he does n't agree that the country can borrow or spend its way out of debt . `` If you came to me and said , ` I 'm in a financial crisis , I 've screwed up everything based on all of my bad decisions , what should I do ? ' the last thing in the world I would tell you is to go borrow more money or go try to spend something that -- money you do n't have on something you do n't need , '' he said . Winget said instead , the country should work its way out of debt . `` The practical thing would be to put more money in the hands of people , which would always go back to , we need to give bigger ... tax cuts , '' he said . Education Promise : `` By 2020 , America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world . That is a goal we can meet . '' Promise : `` It will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education , from the day they are born to the day they begin a career . That is a promise we have to make to the children of America . '' Analysis : Rollins pointed out that this is the first time the federal government is taking a such a major role in education . `` We have $ 59 billion in this year 's education budget . We added another $ 100 billion to build schools and do those things . That 's never been the role of the federal government . So it 's a whole new way to go , and obviously if it works , it may benefit the country , '' he said . CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley said Obama 's proposals are just the start of a new direction . `` It is the beginning of shaping the country differently when it comes to a lot of these programs . And the different shape , again , is a more liberal shape of the country , than really the conservative country it has been since Ronald Reagan , '' she said . Energy Promise : `` We will invest $ 15 billion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power , advanced biofuels , clean coal , and more efficient cars and trucks built right here in America . '' Promise : `` Thanks to our recovery plan , we will double this nation 's supply of renewable energy in the next three years . '' Watch Obama say , ` It begins with energy ' '' Analysis : Lakshman Achuthan , managing director of the Economic Cycle Research Institute , said Obama laid out a `` tall order '' of what needs to be done , and tried to show how everything is connected . `` So he showed , here 's the short term , which is stimulus , banking , housing . Here 's the longer term : If we want to own the century , we have to deal with energy , education , health , for example , and connecting those things , '' he said . `` And one of the critical things is that it 's not clear -- you know , the stimulus is great , we passed it , but it does n't work unless the banks lend . The banks wo n't lend unless the housing sector stabilizes . So , it 's -- this is much tougher than chewing gum and walking at the same time , '' he said . Health care Promise : '' -LSB- The recovery plan -RSB- makes the largest investment ever in preventive care , because that 's one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control . '' Promise : `` To preserve our long-term fiscal health , we must also address the growing cost in Medicare and Social Security . Comprehensive health care reform is the best way to strengthen Medicare for years to come , and we must also begin a conversation on how to do the same for Social Security , while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans . '' Watch Obama explain his plans for health care reform '' Analysis : Larry Elder , a libertarian commentator , thought that Obama gave a `` great political speech '' but Elder questioned the president 's economics . `` I just wish he was a limited-government , personal-responsibility , hard-core-fiscal-responsibility Republican , which , of course , he is n't . Look , he 's got a faith in government that I do n't share , '' he said . `` Whenever I hear somebody talk about investing in health care , investing in education , investing in energy , I put my hand on my wallet and I say , ` These guys are not good stewards of your money the way you are of your own money . ' '' Pamela Gentry , a senior political analyst with BET , said Obama 's big promises will keep people watching because they play to the drama of this presidency . Health care , she said , will be the issue to watch . `` Health care has got to be one of the toughest ones . I mean , Medicare is the second largest budget after defense . So , if he can pull this off , it would be remarkable , '' she said . Gibbs said Wednesday that the president is well aware of the difficulty of reforming health care . `` But he understands the only way to do that is bring together the stakeholders on both sides of the aisle , business and labor , doctors , providers . That process will begin next week here to discuss health care reform , '' he said . But , Gibbs said , the president does n't plan on setting any `` artificial deadlines '' to pass health care reform . Military Promise : `` To relieve the strain on our forces , my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines . And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve , we will raise their pay and give our veterans the expanded health care and benefits that they have earned . '' Analysis : Patricia Murphy , editor of Citizen Jane Politics , said she thought Obama 's speech was strong , but she did n't follow Obama 's math . Watch : How to cut defense spending '' `` The problem in this speech , I think , is his promise to cut the deficit in half and layering on program after program after program , saying we 'll pull the troops out of Iraq , but we 'll increase the size of the military . Those numbers do n't add up , '' she said . CNN contributor Roland Martin on Tuesday compared Obama to rapper Kanye West . Martin : Obama 's ambitious agenda is a good thing All of the president 's promises -- fixing health care , fixing the economy , halving the deficit , boosting funds to troops , curing cancer , achieving energy independence and solving Pakistan 's problems , to name a few -- are just the markers in terms of his presidency , Martin said . `` Sort of when like Kanye West had his new album , and he said , ' I want to make it as bad as Stevie Wonder 's -LSB- Songs in the Key of Life -RSB- . ' ... He said , ` If it does n't get to that , it 's still a great album . ' '' -LSB- Obama -RSB- is a guy who is saying , a president who 's saying , ` Look , I want to raise the stakes . ' And , so , is n't it amazing that we 're sitting here , saying , ` Wow , an ambitious president ' ? Well , should n't we have an ambitious president ? Should n't we have a president saying , ` We can do more ' ? ''