Obama met today with "both parties" to discuss the budget impass and the potential for a "shutdown" of the government after Friday. He is really playing his position as middle of the road, to the extent that sometimes it is hard to tell what party he is in.

That can work OK in some instances, and he isn't necessarily wrong taking that tact up to now...but soon, he has to stand up for his party and take on the republicans or he is going to do unnecessary damage to what are supposed to be his party allies in congress.

The democrats can win the PR battle on this, but they have to be cognizant of the fact that most americans want some kind of discipline on the budget. But, people also want jobs. Obama has a good argument that it is a very delicate time for a government shutdown, and it will hurt in jobs creation at this time. But he also has to make sure that he ties it to democrat policies, or he may find himself not just with a house of representatives that is hostile and republican, but a senate also. A second term under those conditions isn't going to be that great. He will age even faster than he is, and Michelle isn't going to like that!