Nobody’s shooting yet, but I’ll bet Barbara Tuchman would appreciate Robert Kuttner’s headline. Kuttner does a good job summarizing Democratic stupidity regarding the debt deal, and of explaining why our government, in its current form, is in worse shape than those of most democracies in Europe:

…Economically, the budget deal will further weaken a fragile economy. Politically, the deal is a time bomb. It locks in a path to deeper cuts in programs that Democrats should be defending. Under the deal, the same scenario of default versus massive budget cutting that worked so well for the Republicans this time will be repeated next year…

In much of Europe today, far-right populist parties now typically get 20 or 25 percent of the vote. With Europe’s parliamentary and multiparty system, however, they don’t get to govern, but in several countries they are now the second of third most popular party. These parties represent about the same share of public opinion as the Tea Party in the US. But in America, with our two-party system and our constitutional machinery of blockage, if a determined minority gains control of one party it can bring responsible government to a halt…