On the other, he doesn't want to talk it up so much that the public starts asking for a payback, which the economy may not yet be able to afford.

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"At this point, there are no plans for deployment, so there is no talk of funding, " she said, adding that it could take up to 18 months for the patent application to be approved.

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And so since I know I can always pick up the phone and talk to him, that it's not necessary for me to spend huge amounts of time other than just getting business done when I'm here.

WHITEHOUSE: THE WHITE HOUSE