Republicans See Rising Debt as Obama's Soft Spot

Republicans think they’ve found one chink in President Obama’s armor: public fear over rising national debt. Some 51% of Americans disapprove of Obama’s efforts to control federal spending, according to a recent poll. In every other area, Obama enjoys positive ratings. “The president is still popular, but his policies are catching up with him,” Sen. Lamar Alexander told Politico. “When that happens, it helps us make our points.”

“This was not an inherited situation,” adds Sen. John Cornyn. “This was a matter entirely of this administration’s and this Democratic leadership’s making.” Democrats blame debt and deficit on President Bush, and say they’ve only increased spending in response to the financial crisis. Yesterday, Obama promised to cut the deficit in half over his term, and advocated writing pay-as-you-go rules into law. (More Barack Obama stories.)