this is a mission that requires some special leadership. and jack is somebody who has proven himself already, equal to this extraordinary task. you know, if there was a -- if there was a hall of fame for budget directors, then jack surely would have earned a place for his service in that role under president clinton. when he helped balance the federal budget after years of deficits. when jack left that post at the end of the clinton administration, he handed the next administration a record $236 billion budget surplus. the day i took office, eight years later, america faced a record $1.3 trillion deficit. jack's challenge overt ne the n few years is to use his extraordinary skill and experience to cut down that deficit and put our nation back on a fiscally responsible path.