Obama Aides Change Their Rhetoric on Economy

The White House appears to be shifting its economic outlook with a top presidential adviser declaring the fundamentals of the economy are "solid."

In an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," economic adviser
Christina Romer also cautioned "these are very, very difficult
times."

And while she says the U.S. is fighting an "economic war" that hasn't been won, she maintains the economy is fundamentally sound.

Just a week ago, White House Office of Management and Budget
director Peter Orszag declared that "fundamentally, the economy is weak."

The seesaw message is drawing sharp criticism from Senate
Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who said on ABC's "This Week" that the Obama team is exploiting the economic crisis for political gain and using it to push through unrelated policy changes.

The GOP's No. 2 leader in the House Rep. Eric Cantor promised on NBC that Republicans will offer an alternative to the president's budget blueprint.