Beneath the rhetoric, which remains hot, we had two concessions now. The president has made a concession by saying he's willing to take a short-term extension of the debt ceiling in order to let negotiations get started.

The vast majority of people who really understand this issue are warning seriously do not allow this country to go into default. It could have very, very calamitous consequences and throw a lot of people out of work.

I think if the Republicans would promise President Obama we will not -- we will give you a clean debt resolution. We will not try to dismantle healthcare in exchange.

The news is Americans are starting to demand negotiations on both sides. The new poll out tonight has 60 percent of Democrats -- and 60 percent of Republicans saying the House Republicans ought to compromise.

I think this tonight probably set things back. It makes it very, very unlikely we'll have any kind of settlement within the next several days.

I thought President Obama might do that very thing. I thought he might call the leaders to the White House today and lock them in a room like Lyndon Johnson used to do, but it became very apparent that he's not interested in a settlement…

The idea that a group of congressmen who represent less than 10 percent of the House of Representatives could drive this train, I think it strikes makes most Americans as nuts.

There may be enough votes if you join up with Nancy Pelosi's votes, you could get it done.

I think that maybe John Boehner and the president, president taking the lead. I think he has the opportunity to negotiate as he said he's willing to over the shutdown questions, fiscal issues relating to shutdown.

There's going to be extreme skepticism about this. And there's the president's going to be under heavy pressure not to drop any sanctions before he's got a hard deal.

Ted Cruz, through this effort, I think has made himself more of a hero among Tea Party types.