Quote Originally Posted by Xiahou View Post
The deal itself is a total sham from what I've seen of it. The only real cuts are the cuts that take place in 2012. And they amount to about 2/10ths of one percent of federal spending. If trimming a fraction of a percent from our bloated government nearly collapsed civilization as we know it.... we're pretty well screwed aren't we? As so often is the case with Congress, this was a meaningless gesture.
Indeed.

If there is any solace to be had, it's that this whole ordeal seems to have seriously damaged Obama in the leadership department and sidelined the planned summer 'Mediscare', which will hopefully contribute to the election of a new president more willing to seriously address spending. We'll see if it lasts, or if he gets a bump for at least averting default (not that he had anything to do with it).