"The president couldn’t have asked politically for a bigger gift at Christmastime"

But in fact an abbreviated vacation may just be what Obama needs – not in deference to GOP criticism, but to capitalize on the most advantageous political environment he’s seen since the earliest days of his administration.

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“I hope he doesn’t blow this. I think he’s doing great so far, but he can’t take the boot off their neck,” said a senior aide to one Hill Democrat who was encouraged by Obama’s pass-it-or-else ultimatum to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday.

He and other Democrats say Obama needs to stay in Washington long enough to broker a deal that would save taxpayers from an average $40-a-week hit from their paychecks. They are convinced the House GOP conference has finally driven itself off the cliff, and even Senate Republicans are infuriated with their last-minute decision to reject a stopgap measure to keep payroll taxes and extended unemployment insurance from lapsing on New Year’s Eve.

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