David Frum just posted a most interesting blog entry, simply entitled Waterloo, in which he admits that the Republican strategy of refusal to compromise and negotiate is flawed.
There's not a lot that need be said about this -- it's well-written and doesn't try to shift blame anywhere else, other than the "conservative entertainment industry". It certainly does make clear that those of us who believed from the outset that there would be no compromise with the Republicans were correct (which camp I was not in -- I did favor negotiation, at least up to a point).
The comments are very much worth reading in their own right. They're actually mostly based in something recognizable as reality -- not what very many of us here may agree with, but certainly not the teanut/wingbag pollution we're used to. There certainly are some nutty comments, but most of them are quite rational.
Believe it or not, I still think it was right to try to negotiate with the Republicans. It's very easy to see opposition strategy in hindsight, but in the heat of battle, it's not always obvious what's going on. More importantly, taking the high road here, even if it led to delay, distinguishes us from the scorched earth strategy chosen by the Republicans and also renders ludicrous any claims that we were refusing to negotiate in good faith.
Going forward, though, we obviously need to retain this lesson until the Republicans demonstrate rationality.