Obama: delay on stimulus is "inexcusable and irresponsible"

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Barack Obama

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Despite strong attempts at bipartisanship, Obama is making some of his most pointed remarks to date, as he criticized the Senate for failing to pass a now long-awaited economic stimulus package.  He called the failure "inexcusable and irresponsible."

He proclaimed that it could take "months - even years" to put the economy back on track, but pointed out that the timeline continued to become longer as the stalemate persists.

After almost 600,000 jobs cuts, and with 47 million people without health insurance, the US is fast slipping further into its worst economic crisis to date.

Increasing the national debt has been a major deterrent in passing the $900 billion legislation, which will put the country that much further into debt. 

However, it is worth noting that, following World War II, the US had its highest national debt to date.  Between 1940 and 1945, it spiked from $43 billion to $259 billion.  World War II was followed by a decade of prosperity which created a previously non-existent middle class. 

For now, there is no telling exactly where this round of debt will lead the country, but one thing is clear - quick action is required, and Obama has no problem demanding it.