Say what?

Professor Irwin Corey could not have muddled the issue with any more unintelligibility than WH Press Secretary Jay Carney did today:

We are encouraged that there are signs that Congressional Republicans may back off their insistence on holding our economy hostage.... Congress must pay its bills and pass a clean debt limit increase without further delay.

The Hill characterized Carney's statement as a "reserved endorsement" of House Republicans' latest debt-ceiling antics, noting that it may have "signaled a possible shift from earlier in the week," when the press secretary demanded that Congress lift the ceiling "without drama":

"A monthly extension is drama, okay?" Carney [had] said.... "[This is] not a third-tier economy that goes month to month or every half year and casting doubt on whether or not we’re going to meet our obligations."

It could be that the White House is simply humoring House Republicans, or that Carney misspoke, or--worst case--that the "reserved endorsement" is for real, less "reserved" than "reversed." The WH's initial silence was actually preferable. There's too much anxiety out here about executive apostasy on a non-negotiating stance to be messing around.

The WH requires only two words in response to Republican gamesmanship, the very same two words it should have deployed unflinchingly in 2011: "Clean bill."

Comments

[Turgidson]

Meh, Carney didn't endorse the temporary aspect, just the clean aspect. It was sort of a "good, you're not acting like 2 year olds anymore. More like 5 year olds. That's progress."

Greg Sargent's blog seems to think a longer-term debt ceiling fix will be tossed into whatever legislation emerges from the sequester showdown. From my post in the last thread, I think the House will vote for their temporary increase, let the Senate replace it with a longer fix, and then violate the Hastert rule and let Dems and a few safe/sane GOPers pass a longer fix, which the GOP will then try to demagogue for 2014. We shall see.

[Peter G]

Muddled to be sure. In fairness Carney spoke of the drama that monthly extensions will needlessly produce. I'm not sure why Carney would have said anything but clean bill unless he was signaling that something more reasonable than a three month extension might be considered. Maybe that is what they want, to fight the debt limit battle at a more favorable time closer to the midterms but I'll be damned if I can foresee a more favorable time than now.

[BobH]

Obama should simply do what he is doing, not negotiate. If push comes to shove, nullify the debt limit and direct the Treasury and Bureau of Public Debt to resume normal operations. Take refuge in the 14th Amend. that the public debt of the United States shall not be questioned and use that as an absolute shield and let the GOP whining begin/continue. As for Jay Carney, why should he be anymore intelligible on the issue than anyone else? We expect intelligent discourse on this issue? Good Luck!

[Janicket]

I'm with Turgidson's first paragraph on this. Think of it as the White House's "pat pat pat" on the heads of the little House monsters when they briefly refrain from running around shrieking and breaking stuff.