Democratic cracks open in debt-limit fight  —  For the past several weeks, Senate Democrats and the White House have shown a remarkable amount of unity in the controversial fight surrounding the debt ceiling.  —  Then came shutdown Day Seven.  —  Just as top Senate Democrats began to lay …

Boehner: Democrats Want to ‘Annihilate Us’  —  Speaker John Boehner rallied his troops this morning at a closed-door conference meeting at the Capitol.  Democrats are trying to “annihilate us,” he told his members.  “We can get through this if we stick together.”

Four Reasons Debt Ceiling Breach Means Default  —  A new idea is taking hold among House Republicans that perhaps breaching the debt ceiling isn't such a terrible idea after all.  One form this takes is the patently absurd remarks of Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) who muses that “I think, personally …

A Short-Term Debt Limit Increase Would Be a Disaster  —  President Obama shouldn't want it.  Neither should John Boehner.  —  Let's stipulate that yesterday's acknowledgement that the White House is open to a short-term debt-limit increase didn't deserve half the breathless coverage it received.

Obama Says He Will Negotiate Once G.O.P. Ends ‘Threats’  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday intensified his pressure on Republicans with a hastily scheduled news conference, calling on them to both fund and reopen the government and to raise the nation's borrowing limit as the federal shutdown entered a second week.