Boehner’s Briar Patch?

Googling “Obama” and “Boehner Plan” and “briar patch.”  Nothing there–at least nothing recent.  This seems odd. … Maybe I am missing something, but isn’t the Boehner Plan the President’s most promising route to the “grand bargain” (including revenue increases) he says he wants? It would set up a commission to propose $1.6-1.8 trillion in deficit closing measures–which could include tax increases and entitlement reforms. Then it would force an up or down vote under threat of default if Congress votes “no.” It almost seems like Obama’s dream bill, if you take what he says seriously. If you were cynical you would say that this is why he has semi-threatened to veto it. … By contrast, the Reid plan seems unlikely to produce a “grand bargain” of any sort because it doesn’t make avoidance of default contingent on passing a big new cuts-and-revenues package. … But I am not Standard & Poor’s, which seems to have waded into the debate fairly obtrusively. … P.S.:  Now Googling “S & P” and “Nobel Peace Prize Committee.” Would S&P have threatened a downgrade if Congress had just given Obama the clean debt-ceiling increase he wanted? If not, why are they making a fuss about plans that promise to increase the ceiling and reduce the deficit a bit?  … It’s lucky I’m not paranoid, because if I were I might think that, like the Oslo judges, they are doing their part to help our President out. ….