This from Charlie Krauthammer today in the Union Leader:
Republicans have been neatly set up to take the fall if a deal is not reached by Aug. 2. Obama is already waving the red flag, warning ominously that Social Security, disabled veterans’ benefits, “critical” medical research, food inspection — without which agriculture shuts down — are in jeopardy.
The Republicans are being totally outmaneuvered. The House speaker appears disoriented. It’s time to act. Time to call Obama’s bluff.
A long-term deal or nothing? The Republican House should immediately pass a short-term debt-ceiling hike of $500 billion containing $500 billion in budget cuts. That would give us about five months to work on something larger.
There’s just one problem with that plan: It should be a 5-month raise in the debt-ceiling of $500 billion in return for $1.5 trillion in budget cuts. Now. And if the namby-pamby Republican leadership doesn’t think it can be done, consult Rand Paul, Jim DeMint, and Marco Rubio. And let that become a rule: From now on, for every dollar increase in the debt limit, there must be THREE DOLLARS in spending cuts. Plus a balanced budget amendment must be sent to the states to ratify. Starting now. Like it? The political/government/ruling classes sure as hell won’t….
