Fox on the Run

You, you talk about just every band
But the names you drop are second hand (second hand)
I've heard it all before

              -- "Fox on the Run," by the Sweet, circa 1975

Sometimes I get the impression that White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was a fan of the Sweet. Consider this testy exchange with Ed Henry of Fox News:

Henry asked at the briefing when Obama's plan might be submitted to the Congressional Budget Office.



"Ed, I understand, we can do this again, OK?" Carney said. "Has the speaker of the House shown you the positions he took in detail in the negotiations that were designed actually to achieve a compromise, as opposed to having a show vote?"

I'm sure John Boehner has Henry on the speed dial. But that doesn't answer the question. So Henry persists:

Carney's explanation was once again that these deals have to be worked out in secret. But Henry pressed on -- why not have a senator take up Obama's detailed plan and introduce it as a bill?

"We are six days away," Henry said.

"Chuck -- I mean Ed, you know, the speaker walked away from this deal," Carney said.

"You say it's a great deal so put it out there," Henry said. "Let the American people -- "

"I think I've answered the question," Carney said. "I mean, I know you're creating a thing here for Fox..."

Henry, who hardly pulled punches when he sat a few seats over for CNN, chided Carney, "That's not what I'm doing. You know better than that."

One thing has been evident throughout this whole mess -- the only negotiations that are really going on are the ones between John Boehner and the members of his caucus who are loyal to the Tea Party movement.

I don't blame Jay Carney for getting mad, since he's being asked to defend a president who has been largely hors de combat throughout this whole thing.

The reason Obama won't submit any plan to the CBO is that if he does, the CBO will have to score it. And since the devil is in the details, the details can't bear much scrutiny.

There is no Obama plan. It's much easier to bash Fox News than it is to deal with the dereliction of duty that the President of the United States is currently providing.