AFP: Fresh from his re-election triumph, President Barack Obama today called leaders in Congress to prepare the ground for a political showdown over a cresting financial crisis that could spark recession.         

Obama's calls represented the president's first post-election intervention in a building political imbroglio known as the "fiscal cliff," a year end perfect storm of a budget crunch and expiring tax cuts.         

The president spoke to Speaker John Boehner, after his Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday's election, and also telephoned the minority Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell.         

The White House said Obama also spoke to Democratic allies Harry Reid, who leads the Senate Democratic majority, and Nancy Pelosi, head of minority Democrats in the House, the White House said.