海角大神

I鈥檝e spent enough of my life in Washington to take its theatrics with as much seriousness as a Seinfeld episode. A large portion of what passes for policy debate isn鈥檛 at all 鈥� it鈥檚 play-acting for various constituencies. The actors know they鈥檙e acting, as do their protagonists on the other side who are busily putting on their own plays for their own audiences.

Typically, though, back stage is different. When the costumes and grease paint come off, compromises are made, deals put together, legislation hammered out. Then at show time the players announce the results 鈥� spinning them to make it seem they鈥檝e kept to their parts.

At least that鈥檚 the standard playbook.

But this time there鈥檚 no back stage. The kids in the GOP have trashed it. The GOP鈥檚 experienced actors 鈥� House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McDonnell 鈥� have been upstaged by juveniles like Eric Cantor and Michele Bachmann, who don鈥檛 know the difference between playacting and governing. They鈥檙e in league with tea party fanatics who hate government so much they鈥檙e willing to destroy the full faith and credit of the United States. Washington has gone from theater to reality TV 鈥� a game of hi-jinks chicken that could end in a crash.

So now the GOP鈥檚 experienced actors are trying to retake the stage. They鈥檝e set a vote Tuesday for a so-called 鈥渃ut, cap, and balance鈥� plan 鈥� featuring an immediate $100 billion-plus cut from next year鈥檚 budget and a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.

The plan would be a disaster for the nation, of course 鈥� a cut of that magnitude when the economy is still struggling to get out of recession would plunge it back in, and a balanced-budget amendment would make it impossible to counteract future recessions with extra spending and tax cuts.

But, hey, it鈥檚 all for show. The GOP鈥檚 adults know the President would veto their cuts and they couldn鈥檛 possibly muster the two-thirds of the Senate and House needed to override the veto. Nor, obviously, do they have the two-thirds necessary to pass a constitutional amendment.

The point is to give the kids more votes they can wave in the direction of their tea party constituents. It鈥檚 hoped that the 鈥渃ut, cap, and balance鈥� plan 鈥� along with Mitch McConnell鈥檚 proposed Republican vote disapproving the President鈥檚 move to raise the debt ceiling (which the President will then veto) 鈥� will be enough to get the juveniles to raise the debt ceiling before the August 2 deadline.

鈥淭he cut, cap and balance plan that the House will vote on next week is a solid plan for moving forward,鈥� John Boehner told reporters Friday. Translated: I hope this will be enough playacting to get their votes on the debt ceiling.

But even if it鈥檚 enough, the bigger problem remains: There鈥檚 still no back stage where the real work of governing this country can occur. At best, the vote to raise the debt ceiling kicks the can down the road only until the end of 2012. By then, if we don鈥檛 elect adults, the kids will be in charge.

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