Can Obama Trim the Fat off the Federal Budget?

At his press conference today, Barack Obama again vowed to go over the federal budget line by line looking for wasteful spending. The President-elect reiterated his promise as part of his efforts to revive the economy. It's the kind of promise politicians seem to make over and over, without ever making substantial change. Will he really be able to tackle programs protected by special interests? What’s ahead for Obama's team? John Cranford, national editor of Congressional Quarterly, has been writing about the federal budget for 20 years.