President Pushover  —  Updated: Drew article now available.  —  The redoubtable Elizabeth Drew has a forthcoming article in the New York Review of Books — that confirms all our worst fears.  She tells us that past concessions have … Even more alarming, however, is her window on what the White House is thinking:

What Were They Thinking?  —  Someday people will look back and wonder, What were they thinking?  Why, in the midst of a stalled recovery, with the economy fragile and job creation slowing to a trickle, did the nation's leaders decide that the thing to do—in order to raise the debt limit …

Congress ditches Obama on debt talks  —  First came the Biden talks.  When those blew up, the Obama-Boehner talks took center stage.  And when that failed, the McConnell-Reid talks looked promising.  And after they faltered, the Obama-Boehner talks tried to find a new life.

If Boehner prioritizes blame over success  —  The House went through the motions earlier this week, passing a radical “Cut, Cap, and Balance” debt-reduction plan that Republicans knew would fail.  They did this as a sort of vanity exercise, intended to make GOP lawmakers and their activist base feel better about themselves.

Speaker Boehner: President Obama ‘worried about his next election’  —  With his self-imposed deadline for releasing a deficit plan before overseas markets open just a few hours away, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said both sides were “not there yet” and pushed for a two-stage debt-limit vote.

Dueling Plans Take Shape as Debt Ceiling Talks Languish  —  WASHINGTON — House Speaker John A. Boehner and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, were preparing separate backup plans to raise the nation's debt ceiling on Sunday, after the leaders were unable to end an increasingly grim standoff over the federal budget.

Durbin to Boehner: ‘You break it, you own it’  —  The second most powerful Democrat in the Senate warned Republicans Sunday that they are toying with a fragile economy and would take the blame for any fallout from a debt default.  —  On Sunday, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) …

Police Say Oslo Suspect Admits ‘Facts’ in Massacre  —  OSLO — The Norwegian man charged with attacks in and near Oslo, killing over 90 people, has admitted “to the facts” of the case, the police and his lawyer said on Sunday, and claims to have acted alone in a strike eerily foretold …

Debate Clucker Tim Pawlenty Asks Candy Crowley ‘Is President Obama Chicken?’  —  In a statement so rich, Republicans are refusing to tax it, GOP presidential can'tidate Tim Pawlenty (R-The Drain) rhetorically asked CNN's Candy Crowley of President Obama, “Is he chicken?”