Marathon Pundit: Obama--the old couch we can't get rid of yet

We've all made bad impulse purchases. Imagine buying a tiger-striped couch for your apartment. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but a few months later, the novelty wears off. The only problem is, you can't get it out of your flat and onto an elevator without hiring professional movers. Rather than shelling out the cash, you shove the unwanted couch into a corner. It's just, well, there. As is President Obama in regards to the debt-ceiling talks. He's not a player, as the Washington Post tells us:

On his daily schedule Wednesday, President Obama has two meetings – both with his own advisers. For the second day in a row, there are no public appearances or private meetings with Congressional leaders.

With six days left before the United States faces a potentially calamitous financial default Aug. 2, Team Obama has been reduced to talking to itself.

Since the president's bid for a "grand bargain" compromise with House Republicans collapsed Friday, Obama has looked increasingly like a bit player in the larger drama, waiting for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to do the heavy lifting and present him a debt ceiling plan.

It is an image that could be politically damaging to Obama as the 2012 election campaign heats up. And it is one the White House spokesman Jay Carney tried hard to counter during a testy daily press briefing Tuesday.