Mr. Scold-In-Chief

President Obama has urged members of both parties to vote for the agreement and “end the crisis Washington imposed on the rest of America.”  Washington imposed this on America? It ought to be obvious to everyone that the Republicans imposed this crisis on America by holding the debt ceiling hostage to its demands. Why would the leader of the Democratic Party blame both parties? Admittedly, if Obama wants to bring the Republican legislators into the deal, it is not the time to blame the Republicans for the crisis. At the same time, however, it is outrageous for the leader of the Democratic Party to suggest that the Democrats were culpable in this fiasco. Obama obviously did not need to say this.  but it was surely deliberate. It seems calculated to establish himself as Mr. Scold-In-Chief, Mr. Above-It-All. I doubt this is good electoral politics for the President. It certainly is not good politics for the Democratic Party for its leader not only to join the Republican Party in making Washington the center of what is wrong in the country, but also to tar the Democratic legislators in the same selfish rhetorical thrust.