Are We Being Had?

[NorthCarolina]

By Paul Craig Roberts
OpEdNews

President Obama has said that he will not resort to the various powers open to him to keep the government running should Congress fail to deliver a debt ceiling increase. This is a suspicious statement, as it is not credible that a president would leave troops at war unpaid and without supplies, Social Security checks unsent and stand aside while the US dollar collapses and the credit rating of the US government is destroyed.

There are national security directives and executive orders already on the books, as well as the 14th Amendment, that Obama can invoke to set aside the debt ceiling. Congress would sigh with relief that Obama had prevented the lawmakers from destroying the country.

So what might be going on?

One possibility is that the political theater is operating to bring about otherwise politically impossible cuts in the social safety net. If the drama continues to the absolute deadline without a deal, Obama, who perhaps favors cutting the safety net as much as do the Republicans, would have to accept the Republican package in order that the troops are not cut off from supplies, Social Security checks can continue to go out, and the dollar be saved. Having opposed the Republicans to the last minute, Obama can say that he had no other recourse.

<snip>

Link: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Are-We-Being-Had-by-paul-craig-roberts-110726-799.html

I have believed all along that what we are witnessing is a highly scripted presentation of good-cop bad-cop kabuki theater. Roberts correctly identifies, I believe, what is happening during these ongoing debt ceiling negotiations.

[doc03]

1. I think you hit the nail on the head. n/t

[tularetom]

2. A sneaky back door way of implementing the recommendations of the cat food commission

Nothing else makes sense, does it?

[Vincardog]

3. Wrong it is a highly scripted presentation of bad-cop worse-cop kabuki theater.

[your_latest_trick]

4. 4. Here is another article about Obamas current policy.

I found a good CNN article on that topic... What do you think about it??
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/26/cfr-org-daily-roundup-obama-boehner-in-deadlock-over-debt-deal/

[Vincardog]

6. I think that this should be a compromise between the House and the Senate not the House and the

President. The Senate at least attempts to represent our side in the debate.

[swilton]

5. Geitner is from the

cut 'entitlements' school from wayback as was earlier posted on DU.

Does Obama have the hubris to think he can get away with this....or are we collectively really that dumb or distractable?

[seabeckind]

7. Being? Wrong tense n/t

[lucca18]

8. If this is true, then it is so sad and depressing.

This should not be on the table for discussion.

[TalkingDog]

9. That's what I've been saying since all the Bread and Puppet Circuses started.

Oh, the MELODRAMA!!!

Obama gets MAD

Boehner tags Cantor

Obama body slams Cantor

Boehner gets MAD

Boehner comes back in and picks up a metal folding chair

Cantor limps out of the ring and collapses on the sideline to distract the ref.



Political Kabuki.... Shadow Puppet Theatre... World Wrestling Entertainment...

[Lorien]

10. Agreed. Listening to Obama's adoption of RW language and talking points one

can come to no other conclusion. Just imagine the very same words and actions coming from Dubya; now how do we feel about it?