Both Sides Point Finger As Debt Talks Falter
Within minutes, an obviously peeved Obama virtually ordered congressional leaders to the White House Saturday morning for fresh negotiations on raising the nation's debt limit. "We've got to get it done. It is not an option not to do it," he declared.
"President Obama is this perpetually cool guy. I don't think I have ever seen him as fuming as he was in this news conference," NPR's Ari Shapiro told All Things Considered co-host Michele Norris.
For the first time since talks began, Obama declined to offer assurances, when asked, that default would be avoided. Moments later, however, he said he was confident of that outcome.
At a rebuttal news conference of his own a short while later in the Capitol, Boehner said, "I want to be entirely clear, no one wants default on the full faith and credit of the United States government, and I'm convinced that we will not."
The two men offered sharply different accounts of the compromise efforts so far and who was at fault for the collapse.
"I've been left at the altar now a couple of times," Obama said wryly.
"It's the president who walked away from his agreement," Boehner contended.
Boehner said he spent Friday morning talking to other congressional leaders as well as rank-and-file lawmakers about the proposed deal.
"I think that statement that he spent the morning talking with members is important because Boehner is an old-school Republican who has been a deal-maker for years and years and years," Shapiro said.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/22/138623975/boehner-exits-budget-talks-with-obama?ft=1&f=1003
barak obama hillary clinton george w bush nancy pelosi harry reid