Last week, Republicans were mulling several options for the approaching debate over raising the debt ceiling. They were talking big about attaching amendments to the bill that would force the president to approve the Keystone pipeline, cut entitlements, or repeal the individual mandate in Obamacare. Such big talk has now morphed into surrender. Politico: The most senior figures in the House Republican Conference are privately acknowledging that they will almost certainly have to pass what's called a clean debt ceiling increase in the next few months, abandoning the central fight that has defined their three-year majority. The reason for the shift in dynamics in this fight is clear. Congress has raised the debt limit twice in a row without drastic policy concessions from President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats, essentially ceding ground to Democrats. Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are again ruling out negotiations over the nation's borrowing...(Read Full Post)