Why won't McConnell tie a budget-balanced amendment to the debt-ceiling vote?

“There have been attempts to communicate that with leadership, certainly at the staff level,” the sources said. “That would be a very strong hand to play.” But, he said, “there is no appetite to do that in the leadership.”

“We have asked the leadership, ‘Okay, what hand do you want to play? Why not play the strongest hand and tie the balanced budget amendment to the debt ceiling?’ the source told TheDC. “The response has been unsatisfactory.”…

But while the pledge continues to make its way through the halls of Congress, there is a general uneasiness among the freshman lawmakers that their representatives in the debt limit talks — Boehner and McConnell — will not negotiate an acceptable deal.

“The Democrats are digging up everything to throw in the negotiating box,” the GOP source told TheDC. “They are walking in with a huge chunk of demands, and we’re not going to have any.”