Obama, Republicans trapped by inflexible rhetoric

[DainBramaged]

In unusually blunt and combative language, the Senate's top Republican says White House offers to cut long-term spending amount to "smoke and mirrors" and directly challenged President Barack Obama's leadership in debt limit negotiations.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell charged Tuesday that Democrats and the Obama administration were relying on budget gimmicks to give the "appearance of serious belt-tightening."

"After years of discussions and months of negotiations, I have little question that as long as this president is in the Oval Office, a real solution is unattainable," McConnell said.

Obama has been pushing for $4 trillion in a 10-year deficit reduction proposal. But House Speaker John Boehner, after seeking to forge a deal of that magnitude, told the president that a smaller, $2 trillion to $2.4 trillion deal was more realistic. A deal is essential to win Republican votes to increase the nation's debt ceiling by Aug. 2, or risk a government default.


http://beta.news.yahoo.com/obama-republicans-trapped-inflexible-rhetoric-071426403.html