Goldberg on Obama: it's all about the optics

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AP's Julie Pace and National Rreview's Jonah Goldberg take a look at the stakes in today's White House meeting between President Obama and Congressional leaders.

As President Obama and all four Congressional leaders met at the White House for the first time since the partial suspension of government services Tuesday, National Review’s Jonah Goldberg said “I don't quite get what the point of something like that is.

"Except insofar as it's about optics, you listen to Barack Obama in his interview today, it's all about projecting the voice of  'I'm the calm reasonable person, not like those crazy people.'"

Goldberg appeared on "Special Report with Bret Baier." Another panelist, Julie Pace of the Associated Press, said the meeting may be a sign the White House is hoping to avoid an even bigger fight two weeks from now on the debt ceiling.

“You can really see these two deadlines merging” Pace said, “…you also have Jack Lew, the Treasury Secretary, today in this meeting with Congressional lawmakers. The main purpose for him being there (was) to tell these lawmakers about the risks of going over the nation's debt ceiling. So, already you're seeing some of these wheels starting to turn for the debt ceiling fight."