Hmmm...

This, poli-sci nerds is fascinating. With the looming crisis about our nation's debt ceiling and neither Republicans nor Democrats willing to make the necessary compromises to reach a long term budget deal (another argument for a 3rd Party in this country if I ever heard one- DuVerger be damned!) There's now a new, nerdy wrinkle in the debt ceiling debate that, surprisingly looks to be a fairly intelligent rebuttal by the Democrats:

Is the debt ceiling constitutional to begin with?
Hmmm... consider, kids the 14th Amendment-the fourth section of which reads:

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Reading that, I think the Democrats have a good argument to at least present in this mess- however, I'm not crazy about the idea of Democrats and Republicans making political hay out of the already weak and sclerotic economy. Whatever the solution is- and there's no shortage of right answers, it's going to require painful sacrifices on the part of both parties. Which means that sacred cows on both sides will undoubtedly have to be BBQ'd on the Weber Grill of fiscal sanity.

So, fascinating argument- but not too crazy about where this could be leading.