Looking For A Way Forward
While every one seems eager for a deal, one wasn't apparent when two members leading efforts in the Senate, and a House Republican, joined "Fox News Sunday" to discuss prospects going forward. "Things are not moving now," Republican Senator Bob Corker (TN) said bluntly. While he thinks "we will see our way through this," Corker added, that the "last 24 hours have not looked good." "Republicans started off in a place that was an overreach," Corker said, but Democrats are now the ones overreaching. Democrats are "one tic too cute," the senator said. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), one of those working on a bipartisan proposal, said "leadership must lead." He added that he is waiting to see what Senate Democratic leadership comes back with "that they think is fair." The sticking point seems to have shifted now, and Republicans sound intent on standing their ground over sequester cuts. One of the reasons Senate Democrats gave for rejecting the bipartisan bill spearheaded by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), which Senator Manchin was part of, was that it locked in those cuts. Manchin defended the budget caps in the proposal and argued that any change in- what is now the law of the land -needs to be done through normal procedure, like budget negotiations.
A resolution to continue funding the federal government is being batted between the two houses of Congress but little progress towards averting a government shutdown is being made. Even though the government is just hours away from running out of funds, however, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stated with certainty the government "is not going to shut down." The congressman, who is in charge of counting Republican votes in the House, added that, should the Senate reject the House-amended CR, he believes the House will have enough time to look at the issue again and present the Senate with "other options." Asked whether the House will consider a short term CR to give the Hill more time to hammer out an agreement, McCarthy said "if we have to negotiate a little longer, we will." 
Two members of the Senate, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), one of those leading the charge to force at least delaying funding for the health care act, and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a supporter of the Affordable Health Care Act, gave their take on the ensuing debate. Kaine said that he is open to ideas that reform the law, but does not believe it should be tied to threat of a government shutdown. 
"Republicans are doing everything they can to protect Americans from a shutdown, and the harmful effects of Obamacare," Lee said. 
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is leading the charge to strip funding for the Affordable Care Act from any funding bill passed by Congress in the coming week. Just as determined to reinsert it though is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and Reid may have the upper hand by virtue of the Senate rules. Cruz said the first step in his plan is to ask Reid to allow amendments to be subject to a 60 vote threshold. But because the Democratic leader wants to use an amendment to add funding for "Obamacare" to the House-passed bill he will likely say no "because he wants to use brute political force," said Cruz. The junior senator from Texas has a backup plan too, one that sounds like an even steeper climb and highly unlikely at this point: convince Senate Republicans to deny colture on the House-passed bill. He admits he does not know how many fellow senators' votes he can count on but warned how he would view a "yes" vote to cloture by charging that "any vote for cloture , is a vote for Obamacare." 
Following Senator Cruz on "Fox News Sunday," a perspective at complete odds- Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill (MO), a staunch defender of the president's, charged that Republicans that would threaten a government shutdown over defunding the heath care act are sore losers. "I don’t think in America when we lose elections we throw tantrums and threaten to shut down the government," McCaskill said. Asked how she believes this will turn out when a week from now, when the government is slated to run out of money to run many of its operations, McCaskill said, "I cannot believe they are going to throw a tantrum and throw the American people under the bus." Taking a shot a her colleague from the other side of the aisle, McCaskill added, "This is about running for president with Ted Cruz, this isn’t meaningful statesmanship." 
The White House Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough, said it's "too early to come to any conclusion," about whether the administration will get enough votes in Congress to go ahead with the use of force against the Assad regime in Syria. McDonough, who has been in the lead on the effort to convince Congress, said it isn't a question about intelligence, but rather what the U.S. will do to answer such a heinous attack. The "question for Congress is 'are there consequences for a dictator who would use those weapons to gas hundreds of children to death," McDonough said. Although the "no" votes seem to have quickly become insurmountable, in the House especially, McDonough suggested the coming week, when the members return to Washington, is when decisions will truly begin to be made. Members of Congress, who have been home for the Summer recess, have been inundated with feedback from constituents who are war weary and are pressuring their members to vote against the resolution. McDonough said that is an "absolutely understandable sentiment," but reiterated that the president's plan calls for a limited, targeted effort. In his Friday press conference, the president seemed reluctant to answer whether he would go ahead with military action if Congress voted against such action. McDonough, pressed for a straightforward answer said, "If Congress wants consequences, they're going to have to vote for it." 
Perhaps the staunchest opponent of the president's plan is Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). Paul sits on the Foreign Relations Committee and voted against authorizing use of force this week. On "Fox News Sunday," he expressed concern about siding with the opposition as well as the strategy laid out so far by the White House. The "most difficult thing is if we go in on side of the rebels, we will be going in on the side of al Qaeda," Paul said, referring to numerous reports of extremist elements infiltrating the rebels' ranks. Of the battle plan as it has been proposed Paul said that while "whoever ordered that (chemical attack) deserves death,"the attack plan would not hold Bashir al-Assad accountable. "The attack plan is not to target Assad," or aimed at regime change, Paul said. Furthermore, Paul added that he thinks there is a chance Assad will be "more emboldened if we do attack him." 
