Paul Begala

I think we need uniting issues. We need web issues, not wedge issues.

I really think Senator Cruz mislead his followers. They also misunderestimated Harry Reid. The Senate Democratic leader has incredibly diverse caucus from a socialist to Joe Manchin, a very, very conservative West Virginian.

It's supposed to be a simple majority and get that together from two parties. Wouldn't it be better to have a bipartisan majority to keep the country running?

Speaker Boehner will not let the housework its will. That's what frustrates me. He's the speaker of the whole House and a constitutional officer and he has a higher duty than just to try to pass things with only Republicans.

The House Republican Party is a failed state in the same way that Somalia or Libya is a failed state.

He has to reopen the government and he has to pay our bills.

The only way out of this is for Boehner to unflake, for him to capitulate, put the bill that he agreed to on the floor, and let the House work its will.

Reid held them together. Reid delivered. And now Boehner has flaked.

The Democrats -- the Republicans want to do that. They have put proposals forward to open up the government and fund the government.

This will be a complete capitulation by the Republicans.

I think where the story is going is spelunking. The Republicans are caving, and they're figuring out a way to cave.

John Boehner is the Muhammad Ali of surrender. I mean, he surrenders to that right-wing Ted Cruz caucus every day of his job.

You don't have to make a deal, but once you do, you have to honor the deal.

A congressional leader in the Democratic Party told me this at the very beginning of this, said, they're too dumb to take yes for an answer, too dumb to know that they've won.

The real problem here is a trust problem and it's enormous. At the focal point of it is Speaker Boehner. Senator Reid does not trust Speaker Boehner. I doubt the president does either.

Nancy Pelosi talked about it today after the meeting at the White House. You could see the frustration.

I committed math this afternoon. I went and looked it up.

The problem here is not the Republicans, certainly not the Democrats. It's the Tea Party. It is a faction within the Republican Party that has hijacked this party.

It's humiliating for the Republicans, it's hurting them desperately in the polls.

Obamacare is the law of the land, it's here to stay.

We are a nation of laws. Again, under Bush and Cheney, President Bush and Vice President Cheney, we're a nation of men, not a nation of laws.

You know, because that's what's in his mind, obviously. He's got -- probably nothing could be more unkind to Barack Obama than bring up a failed dishonest man like Dick Cheney and compare President Obama to Mr. Cheney.

Under Bush and Cheney, President Bush and Vice President Cheney, we were a nation of men, not a nation of laws.

So, probably nothing could be more unkind to Barack Obama than bring up a failed, dishonest man like Dick Cheney and compare President Obama to Mr. Cheney.

Vice President Gore, no stronger supporter of President Obama, he tweeted right away that he found this obscenely outrageous.