Republicans Refuse to Cave

A befuddled Harry Reid (D., Nev.) threw a flash tantrum on the Senate floor just a while ago. He slammed the House Republicans’ latest effort to avoid a government shutdown — a one-week continuing resolution that cuts spending by $12 billion but also funds the Defense Department through September 30 to ensure that military personnel are paid even if the rest of the government shuts down — calling it a “fantasy” that will never make it past the president’s desk, and accused the GOP of “procrastinating” and “trying to avoid making the tough choices.

Coming from the leader of a Democratic-controlled Senate that could not pass a budget last year, even when Democrats still controlled the House, this line of criticism borders on delirious.