Megan McCardle is not feeling optimistic about the debt ceiling negotiations. The lead on her piece:
When I heard that the president was making a speech this evening, naturally I made plans to watch it. After all, our nation is at a crossroads--either we will figure out a way to work together and pass a debt ceiling increase, or we'll be forced into default or government shutdown. I wanted to know what the president had to say at this critical juncture. Now, having listened to his speech, and John Boehner's response, I am left with the same question that is on the lips of every American: why on earth did I bother?
Then there's her conclusion:
That was what I kept thinking about as I watched tonight's speeches. These guys are out of ammunition. They don't even have any good arguments left to fire at each other. Which I think means we're hosed.
That's pretty close to my own take, which really boils down to this: not one of these bozos in a position to actually
do something is sincerely looking out for the country; instead, it's all about the political positioning. Washington is broken, and broken bad. Incremental fixes aren't likely to work. What we need is a revolution.
Read
the whole thing.
