Oh Snap!

Former Bush Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, made the following comparison today:

The people who are threatening not to pass the debt ceiling are our version of al Qaeda terrorists. Really.

Now, O'Neill can't be too sympatico with the extreme right considering that he basically dished a whole bunch of negative things about the Bush White House to Ron Suskind but still. Wow.

In other news, the Onion once again cuts right to the core of an issue in the media with this little piece on Trump.

Obama Brings the Heat

Okay! Mr. President went right after the Ryan budget plan today in his speech. Check out the Washington Monthly review. Now, let's see how the rest of the press covers the speech.

UPDATE: Paul Krugman liked the speech, too. This might be the most positive he's been about Obama since the election.

Please Go on the Attack, Mr. President

And, I'm not talking about Libya. I think that Paul Krugman was absolutely correct in his column today in calling on Obama to start hammering the GOP on their budget proposals instead of immediately giving up concessions in negotiations. I understand that Obama's job of navigating these negotiations to keep the government from shutting down are tricky and I generally give him the benefit of the doubt but the Repugs' proposals are highly unpopular and he should go after them. Urg!

This Budget Crap is Driving Me Crazy

It appears that we're finally about to get our long-expected government shutdown but not after the GOP successfully delay tactics led to significant cuts. Unless something happens in the 11th hour again, I don't think the Dems will agree to the Repugs' latest "compromise." The GOP's latest plan would fund the Defense Department for the rest of the year but everything else for only another week. Plus, it trims another $12 billion and would "prevent both federal and local funds from being used to pay for abortions" in D.C. I like to call their plan "Bombs Not Moms" but I'm worried that they are kind of winning this debate by loudly offering their "compromises" every couple weeks and pointing at the Senate Dems as blocking the process.

Thankfully, Obama is now trying to get involved. Granted, this will probably make a deal less likely as the House Repugs reflexively argue against anything Barack favors. I'm just worried that the Prez won't slam the GOP like he should for their shenanigans.