Boehner says Obama should negotiate over debt limit, but not with him

Within hours of releasing a video mocking President Obama for negotiating over Syria with Vladimir Putin but refusing to negotiate over the debt limit with House Republicans, House Speaker John Boehner has ruled out negotiating with the president:

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) wants President Obama to negotiate on the debt ceiling — just not with him.

So ... with whom does Speaker Boehner say President Obama should negotiate? None other than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

“I’m not doing that,” Boehner told reporters. “The House is going to pass a bill. We expect the Senate to pass a bill. I would guess the president would engage with the majority leader over there if he so desires,” the Speaker added, referring to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

To recap: According to Boehner, it's wrong for Obama to refuse to negotiate over the debt limit with House Republicans, but on the other hand, President Obama should negotiate with Senate Democrats, because House Republicans aren't going to negotiate with President Obama.

M'kay. I guess the strategy here is to make Ted Cruz seem rational?

p.s.: On a lighter note, White House spokesman Jay Carney had a pretty funny line about Boehner's Putin video:

The video, Carney said, "demonstrated an odd bit of Putin envy on behalf of the speaker. Maybe he can explain that."

Actually, we might all be better off if the orange man didn't explain it.