In short, Obama's new vision for aid started the right conversation; but the budget cutters have muted it.

The Republican budget cutters were able to find even more obscure foreign spending.

Public-defender systems are soft targets for budget cutters, state and Federal.

But he says he is also concerned over what some of the budget cutters have in mind for Medicaid.

While almost anyone would do during the 1990's boom, he said, some companies later turned to autocratic budget cutters to survive.

"So you can go out and say that this is the year you were a budget cutter."

In Washington it might have been a budget cutter's dream, but few down on the farm were happy about the changes.

But every year the renovations fall to the budget cutter's ax.

Libraries, a frequent target of budget cutters over the years, remained open six days a week.

And, in the battle over the C-17, the budget cutters within the administration appear to be losing.