It really is a battle royale in the conclaves of the GOP. Here is Murdoch's Wall Street Journal defending McConnell's cave:

The hotter precincts of the blogosphere were calling this a sellout yesterday, though they might want to think before they shout. The debt ceiling is going to be increased one way or another, and the only question has been what if anything Republicans could get in return. If Mr. Obama insists on a tax increase, and Republicans won't vote for one, then what's the alternative to Mr. McConnell's maneuver?

I think the alternative is obvious - extracting as much in spending cuts as you can. Is the WSJ seriously afraid of negotiating with the Obama Administration? The obvious move was the one Boehner was executing - take the spending cuts being offered by Biden and call it a day until the next hostage situation. Frankly, McConnell's move is inexplicable, not the least of which is because I do not think it can get through the GOP House.

In any event, it is fun to watch the GOP make a mess of a political negotiation for once. However it turns out, this is good news for the President's political fortunes.

Speaking for me only

Update: The storm has moved into Denver. The thunder is loud and flash flood warnings now include us. The cable tv just went out. (Added: It's back on now.) Internet probably won't be far behind. I better go find the flashlight in case power is next.

Tonight brings tornado warnings and more flash flood warnings. The Emergency Broadcast Service has been coming on every few minutes. So far, they are in surrounding counties to Denver, so no immediate danger.

A federal judge in Virginia has overturned a death sentence in a drug case saying the defendant was wrongfully convicted due to the lying testimony of accomplice who got a deal for life. The judge blasted the prosecution who claimed not to know the testimony was false: [More...]

Why do people confess to crimes they didn't commit? Frontline tonight is airing "The Confessions", the story of the Norfolk 4.

How could four men confess to a brutal crime that they didn't commit? Inside the incredible saga of the Norfolk Four -- a case that cracks open the justice system to reveal almost everything that goes wrong when innocent people get convicted.

Update: Netflix customers are not taking the news well.

Is Netflix shooting itself in the foot by raising prices 60% and de-bundling streaming from physical dvds?

Customers in the United States who want both services will pay $7.99 per month to rent one DVD at a time plus $7.99 for unlimited streaming, or a total of $15.98 per month, the company said on Tuesday. The previous cost of this plan was $9.99 a month.

I think the problem for Netflix is that its offerings are dated. The best of the new movies aren't available for streaming. Why pay $7.99 for a new movie on DVD from Netflix when you can get it the same day it's released in HD for $5.99 via On Demand? (And avoid the hassle of fast-forwarding through four or five previews?) [More...]

Via daily kos, Politico is reporting on a rumored proposal on the debt ceiling that would be a clean win for President Obama:

Desperate to get out of the political box they helped to create, Senate Republicans are actively pursuing a new plan under which the debt ceiling would grow in three increments over the remainder of this Congress unless lawmakers approve a veto-proof resolution of disapproval.

If this is the end result of the Debt Ceiling Kabuki, then President Obama will have won. Period. No cuts for the debt ceiling. A de facto clean raise of the debt ceiling. Moreover, Progressives and liberals would have won too, because cutting Medicare and Social Security would have proven to be utterly anathema, no matter what Obama wants to do.

I think the chance of this deal happening is zero. But, if it happens, then I will have been completely wrong about these negotiations. But I don't think I am, and I still think deep spending cuts will be the price the GOP extracts for raising the debt ceiling. But it would be great if I was wrong.

Speaking for me only

On Saturday, I wrote about the Obama Administration's new Southwest Border Drug Control Policy. Here is the 2011 National Drug Control Policy. The Administration wants us to believe it is focused on prevention and treatment. And Sections 1-4 of the Action List do address treatment and prevention. The devil is in the details.

Obama has no intention of reducing the crack/powder disparity further than the 18:1 ratio passed by Congress. Or reducing any other mandatory minimums for drug crimes. Or reducing any current federal drug penalties. Under the action section, "4.2.D. Foster Equitable Drug Sentencing", in red letters, is the word "Complete." [More...]

Open Thread.

Of all the disagreements I've had with President Obama over the years, this could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. I strongly suspect I'm not the only one who feels this way.

• 2008: Obama Disses Boomers
• 2011: Don't Blame it on the Boomers

A generational war is the last thing Obama or the Democrats need.

Sam Stein:

According to five separate sources with knowledge of negotiations -- including both Republicans and Democrats -- the president offered an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare, from 65 to 67, in exchange for Republican movement on increasing tax revenues.

The GOP won't do it, thank Gawd. But Obama is reallllly eager to please Pete Peterson isn't he?

According to the NYTimes:

The president ... called on Congressional Democrats to be open to a deal that would makes changes to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, which some parts of the caucus have strictly opposed. .... He added that .... "I’m prepared to take on significant heat from my party to get something done.”

.... Democrats, meanwhile, have expressed opposition to any deal negotiated by Mr. Obama that would cut benefits to Medicare or Social Security recipients.

I'm pretty sure the President is not referring to raising the FICA cap here.

President Obama is talking about the debt ceiling negotiations. I'm not watching it so I can't tell you what he is saying.

Open Thread.

In the Beltway, they have the luxury of playing stupid Debt Ceiling Kabuki. But, via Atrios, in the real world, things are bleak, and they will get bleaker:

In Arizona, where there are 10 job seekers for every opening, 45,000 people could lose benefits by the end of the year, according to estimates from the state Department of Economic Security. Yet employers in the state have added just 4,000 jobs over the last 12 months.

Some other states will also feel a disproportionate loss of income unless hiring revives. In Florida, where nearly 476,000 people are collecting unemployment benefits, employers have added only 11,200 jobs in the last year. In Michigan, employers have added about 40,000 jobs since May 2010, but about 267,000 people are claiming jobless benefits.

[More. . .]