IT'D BE HELPFUL IF THEY FACT-CHECKED BEFORE THE ELECTION, NOT AFTER:

PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama tax pledge unrealistic (STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, 7/08/09, Associated Press)

President Barack Obama promised to fix health care and trim the federal budget deficit, all without raising taxes on anyone but the wealthiest Americans. It's a promise he's already broken and will likely have to break again. Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress have already increased tobacco taxes — which disproportionately hit the poor — to pay for extending health coverage to 4 million children in working low-income families.

Now, lawmakers are looking for more revenues to help pay for providing medical insurance to millions more who lack it at a projected cost of $1 trillion over the next decade.