In the 90's the Clinton administration payed down the enormous deficit and created a surplus, which Bush turned into an even more massive deficit. Now in 18 months Obama has REDUCED that immense deficit by 8%, ahead of Clinton's pace (It took him 7 years to pay it off). Here is an article about it which includes links to U.S. Treasury Department reports. Ironically, the most fervent deficit hawks are also the ones calling for tax cuts for millionaires that would increase the deficit by nearly 4 trillion dollars.