Ha! You wonder, why I would praise one of the people most determined to destroy a decent government? Because he may have single-handidly cratered the idiotic "Gang of Six". So, for that, he deserves praise.

   The whole premise of the "Gang of Six"–Democratic Sens. Mark Warner, Dick Durbin and Kent Conrad and Republican Senators Mike Crapo, Saxby Shambliss and Coburn–was powered by a self-inflated view of themselves and an embrace of the entirely bogus idea that we have a debt and deficit "crisis". There is no debt or deficit "crisis"–and it’s absolutely unconscionable that Democrats have bought the entirely phony premise of a crisis.  

 Now, apparently, the "Gang of Six" discussions are near collapse–and a nation can breathe a sigh of relief. Coburn has stormed off in a huff. Why? Coburn didn’t think the group was ready to cut Medicare enough:

He asked for cuts of $130 billion beyond the $400 billion the president’s debt commission recommended over 10 years, an idea resisted by other participants.

   Which apparently may mean:

The group’s troubles suggested hope was fading for a sweeping deficit-cutting pact, and that Congress and the White House might settle instead on a more limited deal.

   We can only hope. The collapse of the "gang" (and, given what they were aiming to do, it feels more like either the "gang that couldn’t shoot straight" or "a gang of thieves") would, at least, mean that Durbin could recapture some dignity. Though a "limited deal" still means that the bi-partisan obsession with a phony debt and deficit "crisis" will continue, apparently led by the Vice President.

   Please. Enough. Declare this charade over. Go back to figuring out smart ways to run the government and spend our money because, even if there is no debt or deficit "crisis", we can certainly have a better set of priorities (say, stopping immoral dumb wars, enacting single-payer health care–which would mean Medicare’s financial problems will go away–and giving us a real progressive tax system).

   Unfortunately, Sen. Coburn swore off some behavior:

"I’m not going to bang my head against a wall anymore," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) in an interview.

    Please, Senator, don’t hold back. Bang your head against the wall. Hard. Repeatedly.