WASHINGTON (December 3, 2012)--President Barack Obama said Tuesday there will be no deal to avert a plunge off the fiscal cliff unless Republicans drop their opposition to raising tax rates on the wealthiest Americans, but he signaled flexibility on where the rates eventually wind up.

Mr. Obama said he knows he won't get everything that he wants in negotiations with congressional Republicans.

He made the comments Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg News.

The president campaigned for re-election on a plan to raise the rates on the top 2 percent of income earners to 39.6 percent, which is what they were under former President Bill Clinton.

Obama administration officials have indicated they would be open to keeping the rate lower if the same amount of revenue can be achieved through closing tax loopholes and other measures.