[VowJoyday]

TPM: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2...eo.php?ref=fpa

For the first time in public, President Obama has warned that crucial benefits for retirees, veterans, and disabled people might not go out early next month if Republicans don't relent in the debt limit fight.

"This is not just a matter of Social Security checks," Obama told CBS News in an interview that will air Tuesday night. "These are veteran's checks, these are folks on disability and their checks. There are about 70 million checks that go out each month. I can not guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it."

If you were wondering when President Obama would clarify the stakes and increase the pressure on Republicans to drop their ideological rigidity, consider it upped.

[Usendyduexy]

Apparently the discussion of possible Social Security check interruptions produced enough questions and feedback to GOP staff that within a few hours, Minority Leader McConnell offered up an olive branch.

His version of a parachute for the GOP would allow the President to somewhat autonomously raise the debt ceiling while pushing full responsibility for all things economic onto him and the Democrats. It positions the GOP to wash its hands of the economy (to the extent they can, with their fingerprints on legislation up to now) and essentially run against the U.S. economy in 2012.

It didn't take long for many publications on the right to rise up against the plan, and Boehner, searching for an ally while Cantor runs interference against him, has thrown his support behind McConnell.

Interesting days, these are. I'm not quite sure if this counts as a two-way split in the GOP over the economy or a three-way, with Boehner merely going through the motions to side with McConnell with larger end game of his own in mind.

[massons]

http://youtu.be/x4dKr1TbY0U