You could say the Democrats started this whole mess by failing to pass a budget at the end of last year; a little tidbit I've mentioned several times in the past. They claim they were so extended from fighting off Republican attacks elsewhere that to pass a budget would have only garnered more vitriol attacks from the right, and they didn't want to add anymore flame to the already growing political fire. So basically they didn't pass a budget for political reasons and now the troops are paying the consequences.
<Rant over>
Well, yeah.
Both sides are using the "troops" as pawns. Nothing new. Funny how people can get touchy when people don't "support the troops." Yet same people (and both parties)still won't say or do or care anything about the Forgotten War over in Afghanistan. It's a hands-off topic.
But really, the "abortion rider" headline will kill the GOP in the mainstream. True or not, fair or not, it will paint the Right as being more concerned with Culture War porn than helping the whole country out. Notice in that TPM article, the split between the social conservatives and the Tea Partiers over that issue in that Congressional caucus.
So shutdown the government, we could have a repeat with what happened under Clinton, and that still haunts several of the GOPers in D.C. who lievd through that and this current stalemate dick-sizing. Or don't shutdown, and your pro-life base think you betrayed them. Or/and the Teabaggers think you also betrayed them on the $$$ line.
I would hate to be in Boehner's shoes today.
(To be fair, both Huckabee and Barbour (both possible '12 GOP candidates) have questioned Afghanistan. But Huckabee might not even run, and Barbour isn't a serious candidate.)
