Marc Thiessen: How the GOP can box in the Democrats

This is a good article on how the GOP should be responding to Harry Reid, Barack Obama, and the Democrats:

The GOP can still turn the tables on the Democrats and win the standoff — if it makes the fight about spending and preserving its one legislative victory of the Obama era: the Budget Control Act.

Senate Democrats gave Republicans an opening to do this when they passed a continuing resolution that keeps the government funded at the spending level the GOP wanted ($986 billion) rather than the one Democrats wanted ($1,058 billion). They did this to put Republicans in a box, so they could mock the GOP relentlessly because its members “won’t even accept their own number.”

The way Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) persuaded his fellow Democrats to go along with the GOP number was by promising that this spending level would last for only six weeks — and that after Nov. 15 Democrats would fight to get more spending as part of a debt-limit deal.

What if Republicans said to Reid: Okay, let’s not change current law at all. We’ll pass your continuing resolution to keep the government running, at the spending levels Senate Democrats agreed to — not for six weeks but for a full year. Then come January, we’ll let the second round of sequester spending cuts will take effect -- the cuts you agreed to in the Budget Control Act — automatically reducing spending even further, to $967 billion. 

All of a sudden, the Democrats would be the ones in a box: If they were to refuse, then instead of Republicans shutting down the government over a law they don’t like (Obamacare), the Democrats would be shutting down the government over a law they don’t like (the Budget Control Act).

Meanwhile the Obama Administration is trying to close the ocean (seriously).  Do you thinks these bozos are not going to over play their hand?  Boehner Buck Up!

Update:
Instapundit is on it