Obama: My budget represents the change I promised -- and I'm ready for the fight to pass it. Really ready.

Joe Sudbay (DC), AmericaBlog.com: Obama is laying out in his weekly address today. He's telling the special interests that he's ready for the battle over his budget.

Here's an excerpt:

This budget also reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession. Given this reality, we’ll have to be more vigilant than ever in eliminating the programs we don’t need in order to make room for the investments we do need. I promised to do this by going through the federal budget page by page, and line by line. That is a process we have already begun, and I am pleased to say that we’ve already identified two trillion dollars worth of deficit-reductions over the next decade. We’ve also restored a sense of honesty and transparency to our budget, which is why this one accounts for spending that was hidden or left out under the old rules.

I realize that passing this budget won’t be easy. Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington. I know that the insurance industry won’t like the idea that they’ll have to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families. I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries. In other words, I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this:

So am I.

"So am I." That's the kind of talk I like to hear. "So am I." I'll admit to being very pleasantly surprised by the Obama budget. It's just rare to see a politician keep his or her promises. But, he did a pretty good job, which, of course, is making the Republicans even more apoplectic. More importantly, Krugman was impressed.

So, Obama is ready to get into the right with the big lobbyists and special interests who think they own Capitol Hill. And, don't leave out the Rush "I want him to fail" Limbaugh Republicans who will be fighting to protect tax breaks for the really wealthy, you know, people like Rush.

LSB: This is why he is the right man at the right time. I'm praying that he succeeds!