Obama's Congressional Friends (and Foes)
The head of a caucus that has dropped to 40 members, the Republican leader regularly takes aim at the White House. His mantra on Obama's $3.5 trillion budget proposal is "It spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much." The line was widely parroted by GOP lawmakers in both chambers. He and House Minority Leader John Boehner meet weekly, and their staffs are in constant contact. Often they'll target areas where they perceive Obama as weak: spending, record deficits, pork projects in the $787 billion stimulus, and closing the Guantánamo Bay prison. McConnell, 67, a methodical, cool-under-pressure player who was elected to the Senate in 1984, is quick to point out that neither party has had a filibuster-proof 60 seats during his tenure. But if defections on key votes give him heartburn, Specter's exit had him fuming, and the Minnesota contest could give Democrats 60.
Obama has his fair share of both friends and foes in Congress. Do you agree with our list of Obama's key allies and reliable opponents?