海角大神

Deep, automatic federal spending cuts do not start for 10 days, but the blame game is already in full swing.

Pointing a finger at Republicans in Congress, President Obama painted a dark future Tuesday of weakened national defense, sidelined first responders, and shuttered school programs if the $85 billion worth of "brutal" spending cuts this year alone 鈥� called the 鈥渟equester鈥� 鈥� go into effect.

The look of Mr. Obama鈥檚 latest bully pulpit moment was familiar: He spoke from a White House auditorium, surrounded by 鈥渞eal people鈥� who would be affected 鈥� in this case, emergency responders in uniform. And his rhetoric was biting, a signal that he鈥檚 not trying to woo Republicans but rather position himself for the debate to come after the sequester goes into effect, as is widely expected.

Congress, in fact, is on recess this week. So Monday鈥檚 show seemed principally for the cameras.

鈥淩epublicans in Congress face a simple choice,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淎re they willing to compromise to protect vital investments in education and health care and national security and all the jobs that depend on them? Or would they rather put hundreds of thousands of jobs and our entire economy at risk just to protect a few special interest tax loopholes that benefit only the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations?鈥�

Neither side, of course, wants the sequester to kick in.聽It was designed in 2011 to spur both sides to reach a compromise. But the usual sticking point remains: taxes. Obama says a sensible solution includes targeted spending cuts and tax increases via the closing of certain loopholes and deductions. Republicans say they鈥檙e done with tax hikes; they gave in last December during the fiscal cliff talks, agreeing to an increase in the top marginal rate for the wealthiest taxpayers. 聽

House Speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio slammed the president for putting on a 鈥渃ampaign-style event,鈥� and blamed him for ignoring legislation that has passed the House 鈥� a plan that contains 鈥渃ommon-sense cuts and reforms鈥� that won鈥檛 threaten public safety, national security, or the economy.

鈥淥nce again,鈥� Speaker Boehner said, 鈥渢he president offered no credible plan that can pass Congress 鈥� only more calls for higher taxes.鈥�

Last week, an exasperated speaker declared that he was finished trying to reach an agreement with the Democrats in Congress and the White House.

"Frankly, every time I've gotten into one of these high-profile negotiations, you know, it's my rear end that got burnt," Boehner said.

What the speaker didn鈥檛 say is that he gets in as much trouble with factions of his own party as with the White House. So it may be that any eventual resolution of the sequester could come down again to two old Senate hands 鈥� the Republican minority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky and Vice President Joe Biden, whose years as a senator schooled him in the back-room art of deal-making.

But for now, the klieg lights are on Obama, and he sees the inevitable approaching: The sequester will go into effect, and he is angling for political advantage.

On the broader range of issues, including immigration reform and gun control as well as fiscal matters, the president has faced cries of frustration from bipartisan-minded Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill that Obama is not reaching out to them. The idea is that these senators could provide cover for other Senate Republicans, and eventually Republicans in the House.

鈥淚 view this as a time to turn the page and take a fresh approach from both the White House and the congressional perspective and try to work together on these difficult political issues that have to be addressed,鈥� Sen. Rob Portman (R) of Ohio told Politico recently. 鈥淒oing it at the level of our leadership and the president hasn鈥檛 worked.鈥�

The Democrats have a 55-to-45 majority in the Senate, but need to reach a filibuster-proof 60 votes to pass major legislation.

On the sequester, Obama need look no further than public opinion to see who has the advantage. The president is hanging on just above 50 percent in job approval, compared with Congress, which is mired in the teens. Capitol Hill gives Obama an easy foil.

But he could be taking a risk in hanging back and hectoring congressional Republicans as the clock ticks down to deep cuts, and not being seen as rolling up his sleeves and negotiating.

How risky is this for Obama?

鈥淐learly, I think he believes that his public strategy will help him get a better outcome,鈥� says Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. 鈥淩epublicans certainly don鈥檛 agree.鈥�

The real question is how Obama鈥檚 approach affects the Republican-controlled House.

鈥淭here is a risk in drawing such bright lines against the Republicans in the House that you impede progress legislatively,鈥� Mr. Schier says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 quite see what the public benefit is in being so obstreperous toward Congress. It鈥檚 not like you鈥檙e going to mobilize public opinion to get the House Republicans to change their stripes.鈥�

It鈥檚 an unusual strategy, says Schier, but as Obama starts his second term, it shows he鈥檚 confident.