Which, y'know, is why one should not begin a compromise by offering 95% of what an opponents demands, then going from there; such rewards of threatening extremism only encourages more of the same. After all, if terrorism got the other side to negotiate when nothing else could AND to concede 95% of demands off the top, does that not give every reason to believe holding firm will eventually force the other side to cave on EVERYTHING? Has Obama not done exactly that EVERY time, even after drawing lines in the sand by saying he is willing to be a one term president to get something done, or that entitlement cuts are off the table unless upper class tax hikes are on it? Syria was just par for the course; Obama is very good at drawing lines in the sand, but much worse at enforcing consequences for crossing them.

The only thing keeping him and Dems in office is that Republicans are so awful they make Dems look glorious by comparison. Paul filibusters against drone strikes, then goes on TV saying we should go after the Boston Marathon bomber with drones. McConnell introduces a debt ceiling deal that cuts military spending, then filibusters against HIS OWN BILL (a Senate first) when Reid says, "fine by me." Cruz spends months demanding a debt ceiling bill that defunds Robamacare, then filibusters against the bill he demanded. I knew Republicans have nothing left but anarchy and obstruction, but did not realize it is so pathological they are even obstructing their OWN legislation now.

The really pathetic thing is Cruz grandstanding was as purely theatric as Pauls earlier one. Again, he demanded that bill from the House Speaker for months, despite Boehner reminded him each time that Cruz and Co. could not get it through the Senate even if the House bothered to send it there. Finally he got sick of saying it and decided to prove it, at which point Cruz publicly admitted he was right, and that (somehow) led to Cruz filibustering the very bill he wanted: Because if it went to a vote Senate Dems would strip the defunding language in committee, pass the bill as amended, and send it back to the House, which would then be forced to directly commit itself: Either reject the bill and shut down government, or accept Robamacare.

That really is the long and the short of it, apart, of course, from Treasury only having enough cash on hand for about another month; then the issue decides itself much as the sequester did. The rest is just Republicans trying to go back in time and filibuster a law enacted four years ago and affirmed essentially intact by the SCOTUS. Cruz cannot win, and knows it; again, he publicly admitted that the day the bill hit the Senate. But strutting around calling Obama a Nazi (literally) on the Senate floor and national TV makes him look good to the base and stokes his presidential ambitions for 2016. Because electing a president who has only been in federal office four years worked so well we should elect one who has only been there TWO years; he clearly knows how to pass legislation he wants, right?