Byron York
Washington Examiner
7/24/2011
Aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid worked closely over the weekend with staff for House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on a bill to resolve the debt-ceiling standoff — until Reid pulled out after meeting with President Obama at the White House Sunday.
“He and his staff were writing the bill with us,” says a senior Republican. “We were still working on it by the time he got back from the White House.” Asked whether Reid and his staff were fully involved in the work, the senior Republican replied, “edit after edit after edit.” A key GOP aide confirmed the account.
But the GOP bill to cut spending and raise the debt ceiling, which would avert the coming default crisis, would also require at least one more debt increase before the 2012 election, and the president, working hard for re-election, does not want to deal with the issue again before November 2012. After consulting with Obama Sunday evening, Reid’s willingness to work with the GOP disappeared. (The White House has all along blamed Republicans for blowing up the talks.)
“I think Reid wants to get this done,” says the senior Republican. “The problem is, the White House is so far out on a limb on vetoing anything that doesn’t get Obama through the 2012 election that it’s now kind of personal.” For Reid to keep working with the GOP would be a slap at the president and leader of the Democratic party — a virtually impossible scenario for the Majority Leader.
So with the debt deadline still approaching, what does Reid do now?…
The article continues at the Washington Examiner.
H/T Weasel Zippers where you can also read Senior House Dem Ed Markey: There’s A Secret GOP Conspiracy To Enact Short-Term Debt Hike To Kill Economy And Blame It On Obama… Or something.
