"Republicans will point at Democrats and Democrats will blame Republicans"

Does everyone remember Mad Libs? 'It's not _____ fault that the economy sucks and we spend so much money -

So the fondest Washington hopes for a grand debt-limit deal have broken down over taxes. House Speaker John Boehner said late Saturday that he couldn't move ahead with a $4 trillion deal because President Obama was insisting on a $1 trillion tax increase, and the White House quickly denounced House Republicans for scuttling debt reduction and preventing "the very wealthiest and special interests from paying their fair share."

The Real Effect
I don't seem to remember non-Democrats or Republicans getting the helm in the Federal Government for the last, oh 100 years.Let's see, Democrats are at the helm now and the situation hasn't improved and Republicans were in charge when this whole thing started and they both make for larger governments, I see a bit of a trend forming here...

Let us now step into our time machine and wisk back, almost 5 years ago, to that great bastion of freedom, one George W. Bush's take on how to deal with our issues. From his 2007 State of the Union we get these gems -

• "First, we must balance the federal budget." "What we need to do is impose spending discipline in Washington, D.C." (Oh my, how did that work for you?)
• "Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are commitments of conscience, so it is our duty to keep them permanently sound. " 
• "We must increase funds for students who struggle"  
• "A future of hope and opportunity requires that all our citizens have affordable and available health care. When it comes to health care, government has an obligation to care for the elderly, the disabled, and poor children."
•  "I have asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with Congress to take existing federal funds and use them to create “Affordable Choices” grants." 
• "I ask Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve."

Seeing as how the Republican leader at the time was advocating the same fiscal policies that the Democrats are, there may be difference in some rhetoric but little difference in the ways of substance. To get a little further up to speed, let's see what Boehner had to say about Rep. Ron Paul half a year ago -

Five GOP leadership aides, speaking anonymously because a decision isn't final, say incoming House Speaker John Boehner has discussed ways to prevent Paul from becoming chairman or to keep him on a tight leash if he does. If Boehner, who will help determine who gets to chair subcommittees as early as Dec. 8, rejects Paul, he may have to contend with thousands of grassroots supporters and dozens of younger lawmakers who see Paul as a hero.

 Now, let's pretend for a moment that there was a man, who warned you that a barbarian horde was knocking on your city gates and was about to destroy you and your city. Yet this man is minimized and openly mocked as some sort of naysayer by your current counsel. Fast forwards three years and the hordes have you backed into the castle keep and you, like a fool, are still listening to the counsel that advised you to ignore the warnings of this man.

At this point, you deserve several things:

1. To be run out of power. You have done nothing to avoid this situation and your judgment is at best seriously questionable.
2. To be tried and possibly executed for dereliction of duty. It was your job that you campaigned for that you whored yourself out for the highest bidder. This is called treason.
3. To have your decisions reversed and your ill-gotten resources confiscated.
4. To have any of your progeny or disciples barred from serving for at least one generation.

Despite these realities, here we stand today twiddling our thumbs talking about peas and adults while the country is being economically savaged by blood-thirsty barbarians ransacking and looting. Yet we are openly discussing 'letting the horde take just a bit more money as long as we kick them out in the future' with the very party that LET THE HORDE IN!?!

There is but one word for this - MADNESS.

Update: Boehner certainly doesn't disappoint, well the big spenders at least -

House Speaker John Boehner said he agrees that the U.S. debt limit must be raised and the government can’t be allowed to default on its debts, but he also said Democrats are not serious enough about trimming entitlement programs.