The President of the United States yet again came out of a meeting with Republicans without a plan. Pointing at Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, President Obama suggested that a "Jedi mind meld" would be the only way to make a deal, and that the opportunity had slipped away.

Emphatically denying responsibility for the impasse, the President replied "I'm not a dictator" when asked why he couldn't force the Congressmen who visited to stay until a deal was done. Speaker Boehner and Senate Minority Leader McConnell visited Obama in a last-ditch effort to strike a deal. The meeting reportedly lasted 52 minutes before negotiations folded.

Journalist Bob Woodward made headlines this week by pointing the blame back at the President, reminding that the Commander-in-Chief had made the sequestration deal with the promise to cut spending and not raise revenue. Woodward had called it "moving the goal posts."

Despite the looming cuts that threaten to derail the economy, Obama struck a tone of determination, saying that the American people are resilient enough to "get through this." He called the cuts "dumb" and admitted that they would "hurt," but denied that it would be the "apocalypse" that some have claimed.

A yearlong economic recovery in America may begin to reverse again due to the sequester. These across-the-board budget cuts will trim everything from the Department of Defense to the Transportation and Security Administration. Many Americans are in danger of losing their jobs when it takes effect tonight.

Although Republicans equally regret the situation, there are some who see the cuts as a viable alternative, given the fact that the President is currently unwilling to make the cuts they have asked for. They have suggested that Obama be allowed to decide where cuts should happen, and how they are implemented.

Budget sequestration will begin before 11:59 p.m. ET tonight, and will likely result in a series of furloughs and layoffs at government agencies in the coming weeks.