• Comment ()  The Fiscal Suicide Pact  The fiscal cliff crisis
is a slapdash amalgam of cowardice and obstinacy  December 5,
2012 RSS Feed Print President Barack Obama pauses as he hosts a
meeting on Nov. 16, 2012, in the Roosevelt Room of the White
House with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid.  Nothing more clearly illustrates the political
bankruptcy of our national leadership than its failure to deal
with the key issue facing America—how to cope with our debt and
our deficit. Last year's deadlock over raising the debt ceiling,
required to avoid default on our dollar debts, wasn't resolved
by the president and Congressional leaders. They just kicked the
can down the road by fudging together a concoction of government
spending cuts and tax increases; it was not a policy review but
more like a party game of "think of a number." For the
Republican players, it was think of a larger number for spending
cuts than the other side just mentioned, and for the Democratic
players, it was