Obama: Biggest problem in U.S. is Congress members who don't place America first

President Obama ripped his opponents in Congress for putting politics ahead of patriotism Thursday and called the recent disastrous debt ceiling fight "the worst kind of partisanship."

"There is nothing wrong with our country," an unusually passionate Obama said on a visit to a Michigan battery plant.

"The only thing keeping us back is our politics. The only thing preventing these bills from being passed is the refusal of some folks in Congress to put country ahead of party."

Obama did not specifically name the Republicans or the Tea Party faction whose refusal to compromise with Democrats nearly caused the country to default. But he ditched his usual professorial tone and tued up the fire.

"There are some in Congress right now who would rather see their opponents lose than see America win, and that has to stop," he said.

Obama's strongest denunciation yet of the poisonous politics in Washington came just hours before he was to arrived in New York Thursday for a campaign fundraiser.

"We're supposed to all be on the same team," he said. "Especially when we're going through tough times."

Instead, said Obama, the bickering and obstinance resulted in the first-ever downgrade of America's once sterling AAA credit rating last week.

"It didn't happen because we don't have the capacity to pay our bills, it happened because Washington doesn't have the capacity to come together and get things done," Obama said. "It's why people are frustrated. Maybe you hear in my voice, it's why I'm frustrated."

Obama, who inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression from President Bush and has had to contend with a politically polarized Congress ever since, renewed his call for extending the payroll tax cut for workers, creating a funding bank for infrastructure projects, and approving three free-trade agreements.

The President said he is reluctant to summon Congress back to Washington now to work on deficit reduction because "the last thing we need is Congress spending more time arguing in Washington, D.C."

"The problem is not that we don't have answers," he said. "The problem is folks are playing political games."