In one month.

The federal government recorded its worst monthly deficit in history in February, according to a preliminary report Wednesday from theCongressional Budget Office that said the deficit in fiscal year 2012 is already more than half a trillion dollars.

The CBO’s figures show that despite repeated efforts to trim spending, the government has borrowed 42 cents of every dollar it spent during the first five months of this fiscal year.

The nonpartisan agency projected thegovernment will run a deficit of $229 billion in February, the highest monthly figure ever. The previous high was $223 billion a year ago, in February 2011.

It is the 41st straight month the government has run a deficit — itself a record streak that dates back to the final months of President George W. Bush’s tenure. Before now, the longest streak on record was 11 months.

For all of fiscal year 2012, which began Oct. 1, the budget analysts said the government has raised $869 billion in revenue but spent $1.5 trillion so far.

Meanwhile we’re talking about birth control pills.

$229 billion in just one month. As late as 1972, $229 billion would have covered the entire federal budget for a year; now it’s only the figure in which we go in the hole for the shortest month of the year.

And this president can’t be beaten?