Obama says Congress must pay its dinner bill. But he’s the guy who ordered the caviar and champagne

◼ Obama gave a press conference today that displayed some of the most controversial features of his governing style. The big issue was raising the debt ceiling. - Tim Stanley/The Telegraph

Whereas the Republicans want to debate spending and then lift the ceiling, Obama wants to lift the ceiling first and debate spending later. “We are not a deadbeat nation” he insisted, and then delivered this interesting analogy:

You don’t go out to dinner and then eat all you want and then leave without paying the check. And if you do, you’re breaking the law. And Congress should think about it the same way that the American people do. Now, if Congress wants to have a debate about, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t go out to dinner next time, maybe we should go to a more modest restaurant,’ that’s fine.

Okay, it’s true that eating dinner and then refusing to pay the bill would be an unethical thing for Congress to do. But Obama’s the guy who ordered all the champagne and caviar – it’s partly his fault that the tally is so high....

The issue here is that the GOP sees the debt ceiling as a fiscal problem, whereas Obama sees it as a political headache. The Republicans acknowledge Obama’s point that lifting the ceiling only pays for past bills and doesn’t commit to future spending – so it's probably best to do it. But the battle over the rise does set the context for decisions made on spending in the new year. Without that fight, the big spenders won’t feel any political pressure to reduce their ambitions. The debt ceiling debates are ugly and unseemly for such a great nation to indulge in – but they at least recognise that a fiscal problem exists....

◼ Obama: Not raising the debt ceiling would be like a dine-and-dash at a restaurant - Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin

“You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college. You prioritise. You make tough choices.” – President Obama, February 2010

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President Obama held the final press conference of his first term today. “We need to pay our bills” is the latest craze to justify raising the debt ceiling (try that one on your credit card company when you hit your limit).

Here are a few quotes from a presser that revolved in part around the debt ceiling and gun control, which led to some interesting metaphor placement:

“I’m happy to have that conversation,” Obama said of future deficit-reduction talks. “What I will not do is have that negotiation with a gun at the head of the American people.”