To win the White House, President Barack Obama grew adept at navigating obstacles. But few of those challenges tested his communication and political skills as much as this past week's outbreak of populism, in which he sought to contain, control and, finally, channel the searing outrage over bonuses paid by companies being kept afloat by the government. Along the way, he turned to anger. "I don't want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry. I'm angry," Obama said. ...more

March 22, 2009

President Bush, facing his final go-around on spending with a Democratic-run Congress during this presidential election year, on Monday unveiled a $3.1 trillion budget for 2009 that boosts defense spending and pares down Medicare costs while leaving a near-record deficit. ...more

February 5, 2008

The Senate on Tuesday night passed a spending bill combining funding for 14 Cabinet departments with $70 billion for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. ...more

December 19, 2007

A budget dispute erupted into a full-scale battle Tuesday as President Bush vetoed the Democrats' top-priority domestic spending bill and the party's Senate leader threatened to withhold war funding if the president does not agree to pull out of Iraq. ...more

November 14, 2007

The Democratic leadership in Congress totally missed the message from 2006 on domestic spending. They now erroneously believe that they were voted in because of their domestic agenda and that they will woo voters by passing massive spending bills and expanding already expensive programs. Their approval ratings say otherwise. ...more

October 26, 2007

Economists have long warned that the world economy could not fly forever on the single engine of American demand. A one-engined plane is more likely to crash. ...more

October 10, 2007