Just in case anyone still thought they could credibly spin this as anything other than a big victory for the far right and an embarrassment for Obama, here is Murdoch's Wall Street Journal doing a victory dance for the debt-ceiling deal:
A Tea Party Triumph
If the cuts hold, this would go some way to erasing the fiscal damage from the Obama-Nancy Pelosi stimulus. This is no small achievement considering that Republicans control neither the Senate nor the White House, and it underscores how much the GOP victory in November has reshaped the U.S. fiscal debate.
No wonder liberals are howling. They have come to believe in the upward spending ratchet, under which all spending increases are permanent. Not any more.
Of course they are celebrating. They are gloating because they somehow got a huge win for their side even though "Republicans control neither the Senate nor the White House".
Former Secretary of Labor (and current UC-Berkeley professor) Robert Reich hit the nail on the head:
The radical right has won a huge tactical and strategic victory. Democrats have proven they have no tactics and no strategy.
Update: Grover Norquist Backs The New Debt Deal. Gee, Mr. President, I'm so glad that you made a deal that gets Norquist's approval.