Even President Obama cautioned in his State of the Union speech that a failure to lead by his own party is not the way to go.

CNN: Democrats need to learn to compromise

Burman, a Treasury tax official during the Clinton administration, cautioned the Obama administration against using the stimulus as a pretext to make either middle-class tax cuts or its proposed new refundable tax credits permanent.

FORBES: Obama's Tax Choices

Carter said he has confidence in Obama on economic issues, but he cautioned that the expectations for the new president are too high.

CNN: In first week, Obama takes initial steps on ambitious agenda