If it shuts down the FBI and CIA then let's go over that debt ceiling cliff (??)...

eh, who cares.

oh noez, don't cut defense spending! we'll be sitting ducks!

How long can we last if we stop all defense spending? Give the guys a month's furlough.

The republicans will agree to raise the debt ceiling at the last minute. Up until then, everyone will be wailing about how the sky is falling.

Same as they always do.

This stuff is so predictable, it's boring.

Last minute deal, with the Trillion Dollar Coin in Obama's back pocket just in case. Zzzzzzz.

Just start laying off Red District military subcontractors and the same for the Three Letter Agencies.

They'll cave faster than Junebugs.

Sounds like it will shut down a whole bunch of programs/agencies for which there is no federal authority. Sounds good to me.

That great voice of reason (not!), Ramesh Ponnuru has written an article over at Bloomberg as to why the debt ceiling fight is a good thing. If you need a reason to think it's a bad thing, there you go!

By the way, if you do go read the article, or try to, there's a great comment there by some Brooklyn_Reader fellow which could use a few "likes."

Republicans will wait until the last minute because that is the best way to prevent any bold new policy issues from emerging between crises.

@9- Don't see any comments. Does one have to be a Bloomberg suscriber?