The statement from John Boehner sounds encouraging on the surface. He stands firm and declares that Republicans will not cave and give the Democrats what they want - a "clean" debt ceiling increase with no conditions, neither as a stopgap measure nor as part of some graceful exit from what the media insists is a political no-win situation. If Obama wants to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling, Boehner insists, he will have to negotiate.
