Conservatives Wary of Deal  —  Speaker John Boehner may be trying to finalize a plan to raise the debt limit, but House conservatives are already skeptical of his efforts.  In interviews, several of them tell me they're unlikely to support any deal that may emerge.

White House: Obama Will Never Negotiate On The Debt Limit Again  —  White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that lifting the debt ceiling will be non-negotiable for as long as Barack Obama is president.  —  “Whether it's today, or a number of weeks from now, or a number of months from now …

‘House of Indecision’  —  House Republican leaders met today at the Capitol, but they made little progress toward solving the fiscal crisis, or calming the GOP's growing tensions.  They remain undecided on the contours of a potential deal, and on how to sell one, especially to the conference's bloc of skeptical conservatives.

Obama, Senate Dems hope to break logjam soon with debt ceiling bill  —  President Obama and Senate Democrats on Monday decided to try to break a political logjam that threatens the U.S. economy by advancing legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling as soon as possible.

Smash-mouth Reid (Video)  —  President Obama has handed over the reins of leadership on government funding and the debt limit to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).  —  Reid is now fully in charge of his party's negotiating strategy, a significant change from past showdowns with Republicans.

Senate to Move Ahead on ‘Clean’ Debt-Limit Increase  —  The Senate is preparing to move ahead this week on legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling, Senate aides told ABC News, with Majority Leader Harry Reid expected to file a bill later today or Tuesday on a “clean” debt-limit increase, without any restrictions.

Republicans Lose Ground vs. Obama in the Shutdown Blame Game  —  The Republicans in Congress have lost ground against Barack Obama in blame over the government shutdown, with Americans expressing increasing criticism of both parties in Washington, while the president's avoided that rise in public ire.

CNN Shutdown Poll: Plenty of blame to go around  —  Washington (CNN) - Most Americans say the government shutdown is causing a crisis or major problems for the country, according to a new national poll.  —  And while a CNN/ORC International survey also indicates that slightly more people …

Why Obama Must Talk to the GOP  —  The president doesn't need to cave on Obamacare to help end the GOP-inspired fiscal crisis.  —  President Barack Obama visits M. Luis Construction on October 3, 2013 in Rockville, Maryland.  (Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images)  —  I am on record advocating two seemingly incongruous positions.