Kabuki Dancing on the Debt Ceiling

Even Abraham Lincoln compromised, Obama argued in a Friday town hall, talking about concessions in the Emancipation Proclamation. Is this a manufactured crisis? Will any deal help Main Street? Also, Germany and France brokered a plan to save Greece from insolvency. Will it lead to an even more nationalistic tone among members of the European Union? How long will the world be haunted by the credit-default swap? Finally, James Murdoch remains under fire over the News of the World phone-hacking scandal as two former executives question the veracity of his testimony, and PM David Cameron says Murdoch has "questions to answer." Plus, a Matt Miller "rant" on the formal end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." (Guest panelist Laura Tyson sits in for Ariana Huffington.)

Banner image: Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sit down with other administration officials in the hopes of striking a deal to raise the debt limit while controlling spending in the federal budget. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images