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But the surpluses the government foresaw in 2001 were based on a bubble economy that was bound to burst. And the deficit Obama inherited was only partly from Bush's fiscal policies. Mostly it was a result of a recession that sapped tax revenues, increased the costs of safety net programs and demanded more government spending to stimulate the economy. As recently as 2007, the budget deficit was just $161.5 billion. The current annual deficit is now an estimated $1.5 trillion. ___ OBAMA: Asked how he can lecture Afghan President Hamid Karzai about corruption when it's fueled in part by U.S. aid dollars, Obama said: "I've said to my national security team ... Let's be consistent in terms of how we operate across agencies. Let's make sure that our efforts there are not seen as somehow giving a wink and a nod to corruption." THE FACTS: While acknowledging the situation is messy, Obama seemed to minimize it. "Are there going to be occasions where we look and see that some of our folks on the ground have made compromises with people who are known to have engaged in corruption?" he asked. "You know, we're reviewing all that constantly and there may be occasions where that happens." The United States spends more than $100 billion annually in Afghanistan, the world's second-poorest nation and one of the most corrupt. U.S. officials acknowledge that a significant percentage of the U.S. bankroll enriches shady characters even as it may finance worthy projects, or is stolen outright. The CIA has paid Afghan warlords and power brokers for years, relying on them as informants and as leverage in the country's internal ethnic and tribal squabbles. Intelligence officials say payouts are cheap insurance, but development officials and diplomats say the money supports a culture of bribery. Obama pledged to keep up pressure on Karzai. The Afghan leader recently intervened to free a presidential aide arrested on suspicion of soliciting a bribe. U.S. investigators played a central role in fingering the aide.
[Associated
Press;
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