Obama shares his side of the story

Washington: President Obama used his weekly radio address on Saturday to review some of the steps he has taken toward reforming health care, contracting procedures and an opaque budget process.

But his remarks, coming after another week of extraordinarily grim economic news, served as a reminder of the rhetorical challenge he faces, both in presenting an honest assessment of his concern about the economy and in offering hope that a slow process of recovery has begun.

"These aren't just statistics but hardships experienced personally by millions of Americans who no longer know how they'll pay their bills or make their mortgage or raise their families," Obama said.

He asserted on Saturday - as he did last week while announcing a review of government procurement procedures - that "my administration inherited a $1.3 trillion budget deficit, the largest in history. And we've inherited a budgeting process as irresponsible as it is unsustainable."

"For years, as Wall Street used accounting tricks to conceal costs and avoid responsibility, Washington did, too," he added.