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. . .]

Big Brother is good this season. How will CBS explain Evel Dick's sudden departure after only one day? They'll tell you Wednesday. Get the real scoop after the show airs tonight from the man himself.

There's a new Food Network Challenge. Can Penny just please leave already? Vinnie has returned to the Jersey Shore house and hopefully will avoid a million dollar lawsuit for walking out. This cast is imploding and Italy did not go well for hem. They are back filming in Seaside Heights -- surely this will be the last season for them.

Only one more week till Breaking Bad resumes. The New York Times has this in-depth article. Sounds like Walter will implode too, but not for good until next season.

How do we watch the new season of Damages without Direct TV? Will it be available on iTunes? And has there ever been a worse season of The Bachelorette? Ashley turned out to be a huge mistake, completely unprepared for the journey and lacking in chemistry with the guys. Did they overplay and overhype bad boy Bentley just to obscure the lack of a love story? I wouldn't be surprised.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Schapelle Corby turned 34 today at the Kerokoban Jail in Bali, Indonesia, where's she serving a 20 year sentence for importing 4 kilos of marijuana to Bali, a charge she has always denied. There's new evidence it may have been planted by an airport baggage handler. More here.

Schapelle has served 6 1/2 years. She is under consideration for clemency, as are two of the defendants in the Bali 9 case whose death sentences have been upheld, one just last week. Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd was in Indonesia this week and urged clemency for all of them. [More...]

Denver gets 300 days of sunshine a year. When it rains, it doesn't last long. Not this week -- it's like Monsoon Country here. Check out these photos from our local CBS news.

This street pictured above is about a mile from me. My street didn't flood but all the backyard shrubs got felled. Residents are still cleaning up from Thursday. Here's a photo of the building across from the federal courthouse, one a few blocks away by the federal appeals court and a cool photo of the lightening. (All were submitted by viewers to our local CBS news.)

The rain just stopped while I was typing this. The sun is peeking through, and unlike Thursday, the shrubs in my backyard are still standing.

Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano and Obama Drug Czar R. Gil Kerlikowske this week released the Administration's 2011 Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy. (Full report here.)

The increased use of privacy-invasive technology predominates throughout. As does the sharing of information with Mexico (hardly a wise idea given the corruption that continues to exist in their police and military).No wonder they call it the war on drugs, it reads like a military/CIA manifesto: [More...]