Monday, January 19, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama has gone out of his way to consult Congress on his economic stimulus package, a strategy that's aimed at building a solid relationship with lawmakers.

In fact, Obama is sensitive to the feelings on Capitol Hill, having just come from there. Recently, he said: "Congress is a coequal branch of government."

He himself visited Capitol Hill twice and also dispatched top aides to move things along.

Should this continue, it would mark a dramatic break from Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter, none of whom had experience on the Hill before the presidency.

Obama also has suggested he won't hesitate to use executive power to get what he wants.

He recently told ABC's "This Week" that if his stimulus plan isn't ready by mid-February, "Congress was going to hear from me."