Small moments of truth in unexpected places

Didn't expect to find this in Chuckie Todd's newsletter. Refreshingly honest context at MSNBC:

*** But remember: Republicans started this fight: All of this finger-pointing, posturing, and politics -- with the U.S.’s credit rating at stake -- have generated a considerable disgust at Washington, at both Democrats and Republicans. But it is important to note that Republicans started this fight by tying deficit reduction to the debt ceiling (when many of these same Republicans have voted for clean debt-ceiling hikes in the past). The president and his party have indicated their willingness to pay the ransom -- with some concessions -- but Republicans won’t accept it. The irony to all this is that Republicans have won the larger argument they started; they just haven't figured out how to declare victory. What seems to upset many Republicans is how the president (using the bully pulpit) got to the right of them on deficit reduction. Of course, now both parties have a lot on the line, the president doesn't want to look like he can't lead, even a broken Washington, and the Republicans want to prove they can govern.

Not so sure about that last part. Don't think GOPers care about governance, appearance or otherwise. They're writhing in the chaos of their own making at the moment and too panicked to care about anything except how to blame this mess on Obama.

Meanwhile, Obama is pissing off the lefties with all these concessions, but in this short retrospect, getting to the right of the GOPers is beginning to look like a brilliant strategy to me. Particularly since it seems like they're too paralyzed by the infighting to take the deal. They can't figure out how to say yes without letting Obama destroy their whole 2012 campaign narrative. I can't hate that.

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