This morning President Barack Obama stood before the cameras in an election-year attempt to claim he wants to shrink the size of the federal government and lower spending. According to the administration, his new proposal to merge six trade and commerce agencies would save $3 billion over the next 10 years and eliminate 1,000 to 2,000 jobs. Great headline unless you consider that since taking office, Mr. Obama has increased the federal workforce (excluding Census and Postal workers) by 7%; adding more than 144,000 to the federal payroll.

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The national debt is now over $15.2 trillion and has grown at a pace of $4.24 billion per day during the Obama presidency, but our Campaigner-in-Chief stands before the American people touting a proposed $3 billion over 10 years savings as "making our government more responsive, strategic and leaner."

This pathetically small gesture not only coincides with the beginning of the election year, it comes a year after Mr. Obama's last State of the Union address in which he promised to streamline government. With the next State of the Union speech just 11 days away, he is obviously desperate to appear as if he kept that promise no matter how many facts prove otherwise.

"Americans want a government that's simpler, streamlined and secure," said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). "So after presiding over one of the largest expansions of government in history, and a year after raising the issue, it's interesting to see the president finally acknowledge that Washington is out of control."

Interesting but hardly believable based on Mr. Obama's record and the ridiculously small effect of the change he's proposing.

In a written statement, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Darrell Issa (R-California) said, "I hope this announcement represents the beginning of a sincere and dedicated effort to enact meaningful reforms." But that hope came with the reminder that a letter from several congressmen was sent to the White House last March seeking "a tentative timeline for development and implementation of (a) reorganization proposal." Evidently President Obama didn't have time to respond until after 9 more months of unsustainable spending and further government expansion.