Another startling look into the mindset of the administration during the ongoing budget negotiations came out of the Sunday morning talk circuit today. This one was picked up by Robert Costa at The Corner and involves senior White House aide Dan Pfeiffer during an interview with George Stephanopoulos. George asks him why the President is still engaged in hostage taking when it comes to the very modest bits of entitlement reform contained in Obama’s upcoming budget, and why they shouldn’t just put them in place if they believe in them. The answer is telling. (Video follows)

PFEIFFER: Well, there are a couple of things here, George. First is, the House has passed a budget, the Senate passed a budget. The hope is that the House and Senate can come together and work to try to find a compromise. The president’s focus, in addition to the regular order process that members of Congress say they want, is to try to find a caucus of common sense, folks who are willing to compromise, that don’t think compromise is a dirty word, and try to get something done. And – but if Speaker Boehner’s position, as he said it in that statement, remains his position, then we will not make progress, because what this president will not do is come in, right after getting reelected, and enact a Romney economic plan, which is what the Republicans in the House are proposing.

Yes, he really did just say, “… enact a Romney economic plan.” And keep in mind, this is a staffer from the same team who was saying, right up until two weeks before the election, that Mitt Romney has no economic plan.

I often wondered what would happen if and when the expiration date was ever reached for blaming Bush. It seems that the question has been answered. We’ll blame the guy who lost the election. Brilliant!