Protesters opposing proposed cuts to entitlement programs in
negotiations over the &quot;fiscal cliff&quot; gather Tuesday
outside the U.S. Capitol in Protesters opposing proposed cuts to
entitlement programs in negotiations over the "fiscal cliff"
gather Tuesday outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Brendan
Hoffman, The New York Times)  WASHINGTON — In a town of broken
politics, the path to compromise is littered with broken
promises. It's called governing.  The rush to avoid economic
calamity on Jan. 1 has President Barack Obama and House Speaker
John Boehner out to cut a deal and sell it to their parties. The
goal is a middle ground that would at least halt looming tax
increases on virtually everyone, if not yield a far-reaching
bargain to stabilize the nation's debt.  Yet, the political
compromise the public wants is smashing into another political
force — the so-called iron-clad promises made to that same
voting public.  Days after he won a second term, a beaming Obama
reminded everyone about a defini