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by Peter Nicholas FORT MYERS, Fla. - President Barack Obama acknowledged today that if he fails to revive the economy after a few years it could cost him his presidency, as he pressed his case for the $800 billion-plus stimulus package that is moving closer to completion. Continuing his campaign-style tour of struggling cities, Obama spoke to about 1,500 people here, issuing a warning that the bill should not become a casualty of pointless Washington infighting. "We can't afford to posture and bicker and resort to the same failed ideas that got us into this mess in the first place,'' said Obama, who was introduced by Florida's Republican governor, Charlie Crist. "After all, that's what this election was about. You rejected many of those ideas because you know they haven't worked. You didn't send us to Washington because you were hoping for more of the same ...'' In an unusual bit of theater, Obama shared with the crowd a piece of fresh information, handed to him by personal aide Reggie Love midway through the event. "By the way,'' the president said, "I just want to announce that the Senate just passed our recovery and reinvestment plan. That's good. That's good news!'' He added, though, that the Senate and House still must resolve differences between the two plans before he can sign the stimulus into law. "So we have a little more work to do over the next couple of days.''
