Obama: 'Rare' chance to put house in order

President Barack Obama said Saturday the United States has "an extraordinarily rare" opportunity to make sure the government "lives within its means." In his weekly radio and Internet address, the president called on Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together to address the problems of the federal deficits and debt. "But I also know that Republicans and Democrats don't see eye to eye on a number of issues," he said. "And so, we're going to continue working over the weekend to bridge those gaps. "We agree that after a decade of racking up deficits and debt, we finally need to get our fiscal house in order," Obama said. "We agree that to do that, both sides are going to have to step outside their comfort zones and make some political sacrifices. And we agree that we simply cannot afford to default on our national obligations for the first time in our history; that we need to uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of America." Noting that recovery from the recession is "still fragile and isn't producing all the jobs we need," the president cautioned against what he called "the usual partisan game-playing in Washington" and said Congress needs to "focus on some of the job-creating measures I've already proposed -- like putting people to work rebuilding America's infrastructure, or reforming our patent system so that our innovators and entrepreneurs have a greater incentive to generate new products, or making college more affordable for families." "And businesses that may be holding back because of the uncertainty surrounding the possibility of a default by the U.S. government will have greater confidence to invest and create jobs," he said. "Right now, we have an extraordinary -- and extraordinarily rare -- opportunity to move forward in a way that makes sure our government lives within its means, that puts our economy on a sounder footing for the future, and that still invests in the things we need to prosper in the years to come," the president said.