Thursday, September 06, 2012

COLLAPSE OF DEBT DEAL

Bob Woodward has written about Obama's "fury" when the debt deal collapsed.  One can make an argument for fault being laid at the feet of Boehner and the Republicans, but it looks to me that Obama pressed too hard to get more.  One needs to know when to push further and when to realize that you cannot get more out of the person you are negotiating with.

But at a critical juncture, with an agreement tantalizingly close, Obama pressed Boehner for additional taxes as part of a final deal -- a miscalculation, in retrospect, given how far the House speaker felt he'd already gone. 

But it also looks like Pelosi ignored Obama.  Democrats sure didn't help him.
 
Obama phoned in to deliver a "high-minded message," he writes. Obama went on so long that Pelosi "reached over and pressed the mute button on her phone," so they could continue to work without the president hearing that they weren't paying attention. 

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