The critical Boehner fib.

"We are not going to pass a clean debt limit ... the votes are not in the House to pass a clean debt limit.” -- John Boehner on ABC This Week.

Not true.  Over a dozen Republicans have announced their intention to vote for a clean CR -- enough that, combined with Democrats, would result in a clean CR being passed.  And the number keeps climbing.

Obviously he's holding back.  He's not bringing up a vote because he needs to get a lot more Republicans to signal their willingness to vote for a CR, in order to gain the political cover he needs.  And it won't happen until days before the government defaults.

Or at least that's what I'm telling myself to believe, because the alternative is that John Boehner went in front of the cameras, feigned anger and lied straight to Americans, with the complete intention to win at all costs, even a default, not to leverage for a compromise.