Debt ceiling debate turns ‘scary’  —  Washington's frayed nerves showed through Monday amid tough talk on the right, a White House veto threat, canceled weekend passes and the top Senate Democrat likening default to a “very, very scary” outcome even for those “who believe government should be small enough to drown in a bathtub.”

The Road Not Taken  —  Over the past months, Republicans enjoyed enormous advantages.  Opinion polls showed that voters are eager to reduce the federal debt, and they want to do it mostly but not entirely through spending cuts.  —  There was a Democratic president eager to move to the center.

GOP has no backup plan after vote  —  There's a narrative gaining traction in Washington as a debt crisis looms: House Republican hard-liners might soften their stance once they've gotten a vote on their Cut, Cap and Balance proposal.  —  But if that's the case, the conservatives aren't in on the plan.

Bill Clinton: I'd use 14th Amendment  —  Former President Bill Clinton would invoke the 14th Amendment - “without hesitation, and force the courts to stop me,” he says - to raise the debt ceiling if he were in President Barack Obama's shoes, with the deadline to raise the limit just two weeks away.