Obama asks monk for prayers on budget talks

President Obama will seek help on complex budget talks wherever he can get it.

The president was overheard alluding to "fiscal cliff" budget negotiations during a tour of a royal monastery in Thailand, telling a monk: "We're working on this budget, we're going to need a lot of prayer for that."

Throughout his trip to Southeast Asia, Obama and aides are in contact with Washington officials about talks with Congress to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff -- a series of tax hikes and budget cuts that kick in Jan. 1 unless Democrats and Republicans can agree on a debt reduction deal.

At a news conference later, Obama told reporters, "I always believe in prayer.

"I believe in prayer when I go to church back home, and if a Buddhist monk is wishing me well, I'm going to take whatever good vibes he can give me to try to deal with some challenges back home," Obama said.

He added: "I'm confident that we can get our fiscal situation dealt with."