There are any number of reasons why an army of bankers, bureaucrats, consultants and analysts failed to foresee the strength of the ground-level resistance to the Gresik sale.

CNN: 'THE PEOPLE'S ASPIRATION'

"But there was resistance to change on the ground, " he says.

CNN: FROM BAD TO WORSE

As Republicans struggle to find common ground with Democrats over the budget, conservative leaders have generally been unyielding in their resistance to tax increases on most wealthy Americans, one that defies American political history and budgetary realism, to the point of making a deal impossible.

CNN: GOP faces choice: Leadership or gridlock

Mr Obama, meanwhile, has expressed hope that Republican resistance to his proposals will be slightly less reflexive if he is re-elected, on the ground that he cannot run for president again, and so presents a less tempting target.

ECONOMIST: Congress