Let me put it for you another way, maybe you will understand. A business spends $1 Million. Their business plans include more spending, let's say $4 Million. That business can't spend that $5 Million because it is already spoken for...even if the $4 Million check has not been written yet. That amount is written in and it's as good as gone.
That is not true. Until the company has actually entered into a contract, the $4 million is just forecasting.
They could change their plan at any time and spend the money on something else.
In the same way, Obama has only budgeted the $6.7 as a forecast for spending.
So saying "the money is already out the door" is inaccurate.
In another, more understandable term for the average joe...If I buy a house, I'm in debt $550K...even though I haven't paid that money out yet, and won't spend the entire amount for 30 YEARS, I'm still in debt $550K...even though my debt sheet does not say $550K...it says something like $1200/mo. after the down and all that good shit.
If you buy a house for $550k it would be reflected on your balance sheet as a $550k asset.
However the mortgage you took out to pay for the house would reflected on your balance sheet as a $550k liability; so your "debt sheet" would actually say $550k.
It took Bush 2 years to spend $2 Trillion...it took Obama 461 days to spend the same amount. Obama spent more in one day than Bush did in 1 year (2007). And his current spending has $9.3 Trillion going out the door in the next 9 years. The government will not add that amount to the debt until it's spent in it's entirety....but the debt is still there...just like my mortgage.
The reason why the mortgage on a house is a bad example is because you have already received and spent the $550k and are now legally bound to pay it.
Obama has not yet received or spent the $6.7 trillion, nor is he legally bound to.
If he took a loan for $6.7 trillion then your example would make sense.
A better analogy for Obama's commitment to spend $6.7 would be a company that is forecasting its budget for 2011 and projects revenue of $1 million. That company could then send an update to its shareholders saying that they are budgeting $200k for marketing.
The 200K is not yet a liability, nor are they legally bound to spend that $200k on marketing.