I am not a strategist.  I don’t play chess because I can’t sit still and concentrate long enough to finish a game.  I barely play checkers, and I am not very good at hearts.  That is one of the reasons I am having so much trouble figuring out what in the world is going on in the debt celing debate.

The Hill reported today that Speaker Boehner will add a balanced-budget amendment to his proposed debt ceiling legislation in order to win the support of conservatives in the House of Representatives.  Senator Harry Reid has stated that such a bill will be dead on arrival.  I am assuming that a stonger bill coming out of the House will give Republicans more negotiating room and that Harry Reid is just making statements for the base, but I really do not know where the truth is in any of this. 

The article reports:

“Republican lawmakers say the Boehner framework would still pave the way for the debt limit to be raised through the 2012 election in two chunks. But it would also mandate that the second hike of the ceiling could only occur after a balanced-budget amendment passed both chambers of Congress and went to the states for ratification.”

The current crop of Washington politicians (with the exception of the Tea Party) have no interest in balancing the budget–it would limit their power.  They have no interest in simplifying the tax code–that would also limit their power.  I hate to be cynical, but I truly feel that what we are currently watching in Washington is an elaborately staged dance between the Democrats and the Republican establishment.  The Tea Party was not invited.  I don’t support a third party, but I am beginning to believe that the solution to Washington is more Tea Party, less Democrats and less Republican establishment.  I have a feeling that no one is going to be satisfied with whatever solution is reached on the debt ceiling.