Dare I say, a new low?

WASHINGTON (AFP) — President Barack Obama Wednesday argued that budget cuts that choke spending on clean energy and education would dishonor US history, previewing a 2012 campaign row with Republicans.

Obama defended his plans to invest in the economy of the future after Republican candidates pounced on dismal economic data to argue the president was consumed by European-style anti-market policies that slowed growth.

The president admitted that America was still going through tough economic times, but warned that the drive to cut the bulging US budget deficit should not come at the expense of future competitiveness.

“I want to make clear, that is not our history, that is not who we are, I don’t accept that future for the United States of America.

“I see a United States where this nation is able to out-compete every country on earth, where we continue to be the world’s engine for innovation and discovery.”