NYT editorial on debt ceiling basically indisinguishable from a White House blog post

At last, a few senior Republicans have started to realize that the weapon, used in this way, is too powerful to be controlled. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, said default would be bad for his party’s “brand” and would allow the president to shift blame for the poor economy onto Republicans.

What he really meant, of course, was that default would expose the huge Republican role in creating the economic crisis. Republicans have not only consented to the skyrocketing deficit, they have also blocked any consideration of programs to put Americans back to work, all while blaming high unemployment on President Obama.

Mr. McConnell knows such sophistry would be impossible if a default caused the economy to collapse. That is why he has proposed an escape hatch, allowing the debt ceiling to be lifted without required spending cuts as long as all blame falls on Mr. Obama. Though Mr. McConnell’s concern is partisan and parochial, others at the table should seize his idea, or some of the variations being discussed, if they care about the brand of the United States.