Even though President Barack Obama will not admit it, it is clear that Congress went much further than the President wanted it to by inserting pet projects and other unnecessary spending into the stimulus bill. But no matter what the specific event was, the apparent disagreement between the new president and the congressional leadership was to be expected. A president's party in Congress, whether it be the majority, as it is now, or the minority, as it was during the last two years of the administration of President George W. Bush, never considers itself a direct extension, or tool, of the White House. That is the nature of a presidential system of government- in contrast to a parliamentary system, where there is party discipline enforced by the prime minister.
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