Here's one way to win an election in the middle of a recession: propose cuts to the federal work force.
 
That's exactly what Barack Obama did when he was running for office in 2008. On the campaign trail, he promised to "thin the ranks of Washington middle managers" to free up resources and trim the deficit.
 
So, has he?
 
It's a promise that's difficult to quantify. We searched "middle managers" on the White House Web site, and not surprisingly, there was no press release boasting about massive layoffs.
 
Nevertheless, Obama has taken steps to streamline government.
 
For example, on the campaign trail, he mentioned that he would appoint a chief performance operator who would set performance targets for each department and oversee a team essentially tasked with cutting the fat. In April, Obama announced that Jeffrey Zients, a Washington management consultant, would be taking the job. (Nancy Killefer, Obama's first choice for the job, withdrew in early January over tax filing issues.)
 
Then, on June 11, the administration followed up the announcement with a memo to all agencies and departments asking each to prioritize programs and initiatives in an effort to reduce government spending. Presumably, when programs are eliminated, so are jobs.
 
So, Obama has taken some steps to streamline the government work force, but we're going to watch and see where this promise goes. It's In the Works for now.