Great piece here by Ross Douthat in the NYT. He's a conservative columnist who makes the interesting point that Republicans didn't plan their endgame in the Debt Ceiling talks. They've been so completely uncompromising that Obama can't possibly acede to their demands (can he?), but in pleasing the Tea Partiers they may lose everyone else in the end.
When I think about the deal that Obama was offering, as a liberal I'm glad they didn't take it. I think BHO gave away the store. Maybe he knew the GOP wouldn't take it, but I don't think so- as I've said before, I think Obama believes his own rhetoric about bringing people together, even in the face of all evidence to the contrary.
I hereby officially declare that I think Hilary would have been a better president. I was not a fan of hers in 2008 and preferred BHO (I think I voted for Edwards in the primary, but I honestly can't remember). One of my main issues with the Clintons is their obsession with triangulation and finding the center of the debate, but I'm shocked to find Obama seems more obsessed with finding the right-of-center part of the debate and staking that out in his quest for a deal. He just doesn't seem willing to stand up for anything- he offered to cut Social Security and Medicare in the current negotiations, in exchange for closing tax loopholes that should be agreed to by anyone. Luckily the Republicans can't take yes for an answer.
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