This debt crisis thing has the Democrats and Republicans playing a very dangerous game of chicken with our economy and the future of our country. Neither wants to be the first to give in, and both think they can hold out the longest. That does not seem to be very sound thinking, when so much is at stake.
Apparently they have reached a deal, finally. In my experience, an eleventh hour decision is usually full of mistakes. That remains to be seen in this situation, but it does seem to be full of distrust for the other side. How have we descended to such depths!
What happened to civility? What happened to doing the right thing? What happened to compromise?
Where are the statesmen?
Inklings 
The Democrats have repeatedly given in to all Republican demands except for the balanced budget amendment. The two parties aren’t equal in this problem; it’s the radical-right that caused this mess. Don’t forget that before Bush took office, our national debt was $6 trillion. His and the Republicans’ radical policies are responsible for most of the $8 trillion increase since that time. We had balanced budgets before Bush took office. Now we’re paying nearly 1/2 trillion dollars a year just on interest on the debt.