National Journal:
“The deadline to keep open the federal government was only two weeks
away, when the White House quietly floated plans for a summit between
President Obama and the four congressional leaders. The idea was to show
Obama, his sleeves rolled up, engaged as Congress lurched toward a
shutdown. But when top administration officials reached out to Capitol
Hill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office had a message for them:
Don’t do it. Reid’s team argued such a meeting would suggest the
Democrats were willing to negotiate when they weren’t. The White House
listened. The summit was nixed. And no serious talks have occurred
since.”
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