Budget Stances Harden as Deadline Nears for Shutdown  —  WASHINGTON — In dueling news conferences just moments apart, President Obama and the speaker of the House, John A. Boehner, dug in their heels on Tuesday over terms of a budget deal to stave off a partial shutdown of the federal government as early as Saturday.

The GOP Path to Prosperity  —  Our budget cuts $6.2 trillion in spending from the president's budget over the next 10 years and puts the nation on track to pay off our national debt.  —  Congress is currently embroiled in a funding fight over how much to spend on less than one-fifth of the federal budget for the next six months.

Best budget ever  —  PAUL RYAN has officially revealed the House Republicans' budget proposal, and we will have a detailed analysis of it up in short order.  Reactions to the plan will vary (sharply, it's safe to say).  But whatever your take on the policy proposals, it's worth approaching …

The Ryan Budget: Big Cuts, Bigger Questions  —  House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan's 2012 budget is estimated to cost $6.2 trillion less over 10 years than President Obama's plan, with an initial deficit of $950 billion next year that decreases, along with government debt, over time.

The Threat Within  —  Josh Marshall, rightly, goes ballistic over the lameness of a supposed Democratic advocate in challenging Ryan's plan.  —  This could, indeed, be the problem.  —  In many ways, this fight resembles the 2005 fight over Social Security.

New compromise target: $40B in cuts  —  Speaker John Boehner used a White House meeting Tuesday to signal his hope that a deal could be reached on spending if the administration and Democrats were willing to move closer to $40 billion in spending cuts or $7 billion above the target now being used in negotiations.

Paul Ryan Slams Medicaid's Middle Class Beneficiaries As The New Welfare Queens  —  The essence of Paul Ryan's Ryan Ripoff budget is hiding the ball.  Steep cuts in Medicare—but not for anyone who's old today!  Giant tax cuts for the rich—but tax hikes for the middle class!