DIOGENES, BRING YOUR LANTERN TO WASHINGTON

The cynical Greek philosopher Diogenes supposedly walked the streets of Athens carrying a lantern during the daytime. When asked why, he said he was looking for an honest man. If Diogenes walked the streets of Washington today, he would despair of finding an honest man or woman, in this case meaning a politician, and might consider using his lantern not for light but for self-immolation.

The current political battle over increasing the federal debt ceiling above $14.3 trillion to avoid default on U.S. debt obligations is obscene. The August 2 deadline for such a default is now less than a month away and the only movement, as opposed to progress, displayed to the public is political posturing. The President, with a re-election stake in the brawl, attacks Congress and says the lawmakers should simply get on with it, do their job, and work toward a bipartisan agreement. As envisioned by the President and many of his congressional supporters, such an agreement might involve $1-2 trillion in reduced spending and perhaps about $400 billion in increased revenue. The GOP reply is read from what is engraved on the party's ideological tablets -- thou shalt not raise taxes. To House Speaker and Senate Minority Leader McConnell it's our way or no way.

For both Boehner and McConnell, who MAY be personally supportive of some carefully disguised revenue increases, the problem is that their party has moved so far to the right that they can't muster the votes needed to support any plan that would increase revenues which to them means raising taxes. In short, they will not jeopardize their congressional leadership positions by stepping forward, taking a risk, and showing some political leadership by changing minds to get the necessary GOP votes to add to Democratic votes supporting a cut spending/increase revenues package. But instead of political courage we get statements reinforcing the intransigence of the far right lawmakers. What's the leadership in just saying "no"?

As a side note on the hypocrisy of the situation, GOP Senator Corker of Tennessee scoffed at the proposals of Democrats to end a variety of corporate tax benefits saying, "If you look at the kind of things that are being thrown out, they go almost nowhere at ending the problem." Referring , for example, to ending the tax write offs for corporate jets, " I mean you've got to be kidding me. We're talking about trillions and trillions of dollars, so these are all poll-tested things." Guess he forgot , for example, Democratic proposals to end tens of billions of dollars in tax benefits to the oil industry, and the billions going to Wall Street hedge fund managers who are grossly undertaxed.. He also forgot an old saying, a billion here and a billion there soon adds up to real money. Guess he prefers to look for every nickel and dime to cut on the spending side.

Leadership generally is not exactly a wonder to behold in this very partisan debt ceiling issue. President Obama uses his bully pulpit to put himself squarely on the side of his political angels -- that is, his own Democratic voting base plus, and hopefully, independent middle class voters. But he is certainly on a firmer leadership ground than the Republicans. Through Vice President Biden's weeks-long, but now collapsed, negotiations with a small group of bipartisan lawmakers there was administration leadership for getting the job done. That is, until the Republicans walked out of the negotiations saying flatly "no" to revenue increases which in any form, such as closing tax loopholes for the upper income earners and corporations, the GOP calls tax increases.

Then Obama had to publicly embarrass the Senate, noting that while efforts to reach agreement seem stalemated, the Senate was taking a week off for the July 4 holiday, a holiday for which most Americans get one day off from work. Senate Leader Reid, a person not easily embarrassed, quickly called off the recess. The House had already taken its weeklong holiday and has another scheduled for July 18-24, which as far as I can ascertain must be related to the waning of a full moon. It would come as no surprise if Boehner canceled that holiday. Put this all together and there is no evidence of any winners for the Profile in Courage award.

At the same time one has to wonder what lawmakers will do while they stay in town. The answer is, probably little. Any agreements to be made right now on the debt ceiling will be made by Obama and the congressional leadership, not the rank and file. But appearances do count and going home to campaign and raise money at this time does seem a bit insensitive. It would be a time for the so-called GOP leadership to engage in changing some hearts and minds, but the more likely use of the time will be for floor speeches, sound bites uttered while seeming to be in a rush, and cable news appearances to harden stands, not soften them.

So Diogenes, think it over carefully. Given the nature of our politics perhaps the search for an honest political person in Washington can be lowered to finding just a modicum of non-politicized leadership. Thus, our much lower expectations. And, besides, we can't afford to lose you or Don Quixote who carries on his own quest by tilting with windmills. Maybe he also should come to Washington, the city of many windmills.