President Obama has said, repeatedly and in no uncertain terms, that he’ll negotiate with congressional Republicans about practically everything — except the debt ceiling. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is convinced the president will abandon that posture soon, and start agreeing to give the GOP far-right goodies in exchange for nothing.
Boehner’s caucus believes the same thing. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) told The Hill, “When Obama says he’s not going to negotiate on the debt ceiling, that’s just baloney. Ultimately, he will” (thanks to reader F.B. for the tip).
Here’s the issue Republicans don’t seem to appreciate: Obama can’t negotiate on this. It’s just not an option because there’s more at stake than just a fight over the nation’s finances.