White House officials say it's no mystery why President Obama is
insisting on higher tax rates for the top 2% of incomes.  He
promised it during the campaign.  The president "was extremely
explicit about this every day," said White House spokesman Jay
Carney, saying higher taxes on the wealthy would bring in more
revenue and help reduce the national debt.  And Obama defeated
Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the election.  "The
American people spoke very clearly about this matter on Nov. 6,"
Carney said.  Obama's pledge to raise taxes on the wealthy --
through eliminating the George W. Bush-era tax rates on high
earners -- goes back to his first campaign for the presidency,
back in 2008.  In late 2010, the White House agreed to a two-
year extension of all the Bush tax cuts as part of an agreement
that included other items sought by the administrations.
Congressional Republicans say Obama's tax plan will do little to
dent a federal debt that now exceeds $16 trillion, and the
president should be more concer