Early Standard Model physics and early discovery strategy in ATLAS

In 2008 the LHC will open a new energy domain for physics within the Standard Model and beyond. The physics channels which will be addressed by the ATLAS experiment in the initial period of operation will be discussed. These include Standard Model processes such as W/Z production and early top measurements. This will be followed by a description of the searches for a low-mass Higgs boson, new heavy di-lepton resonances, and Supersymmetry, for which a striking signal might be observed after only a few months of data taking.