The point of the article is the debt is largely short term. It is like an ARM-reset which needs re-financing. This is why the Treasury is trying to re-finance for longer terms while rates a re low, but no one is going to buy 30 year debt from anyone at a near zero rate of 1/2%.

A story of expansion of obligations, be it daily doubling of rice grains or debt paid for by more borrowing:

Rani, a clever and hungry village girl collects Royal rice falling out of bags meant for the Raja. She is caught by the royal guards, but when they accuse her of stealing she tells them she is collecting the rice to return to the raja. The raja, striving to be wise and fair, decides to reward her for returning his rice. He tells Rani: "Ask me for anything and you shall have it."

To the raja's great surprise, Rani asks for just one grain of rice. When the raja says that is not enough of a reward, she acquiesces and asks that he give her one grain of rice on the first day. Then each day, for the following thirty days, he is to give her double the rice he gave her the day before. The raja considers this to be a modest request and readily agrees. By the end of the thirty days, Rani has more than a billion grains of rice and the raja has no more to give. The raja, having learned an important lesson both about math and about fairness, promises to only take as much rice as he needs from now on.

Its a liberal smear campaign! Its unAmerican! Socialists dictating truth!

There are Real Americans who depend on the make-believe news at Fox to reinforce their holier than thou fantasy world!

How dare they do this! This calls for another Tea Party, CHIHUAHUA AND I WANT OUR FOX NEWS AND HANNITY BACK THE WAY THEY WERE AND NOW!!

The first 10 months of the Obama administration have shown that change in this nation does not come easily, has many opponents, and cannot be accomplished easily, particularly by a Democratic Party where too many legislators are afraid to support it.

the last half way decent Republican

..and his coterie of idiots and fools running the country further into an even deeper ditch, which politician from what party, with which Congress and Senate would appear to raise the nation from the ashes to greet a new dawn of a magically enlightened citizenry united in demanding specific sound and erudite policies?

It is more likely the divisiveness, fear mongering and vitriol would only worsen after 4 years of McCain/Palin, and the candidate pool would become even more beholden to big moneyed interests.

What we need is public functioning of brain cells so voters research, examine and decide the candidates they support well in advance on facts and the records and positions of candidates, and not on last minute millions spent on TV marketing campaigns promoting lies, fear mongering and baseless propaganda.

Budget conscience fiscal conservative deficit hawk Republicans and conservative Democrat Blue dogs would particularly see this as a Red Flag to filibuster until Levin cries 'Uncle'.

Wars cannot be paid for by taxes, only by taxcuts, particulary taxcuts for the wealthy, as we should be thankful they love American and choose to make money here.

It would set a terrible precedent, any Bible thumping white racist teabagger knows Republicans only answer to God!

Its more likely the CEO needs the money to pay for his wife's latest trip to Paris.

F%$#k the teabaggers if they complain. A license to broadcast is not a license to make up the news.

Yes, the little Chihuahua over your post for one, and millions of Real Americans just as dumb.

In a democracy the importance of the the public not being brainwashed by distortions and lies is clear.

The hardball game would be to pull their license or at last threaten to, and let the teabaggers boil over about it.

Palin laughed and giggled and then they finally had to tell her they were not Sarkozy, and she flipped.

The audio is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV_IphAIGPg

Toothless Chihuahua is a guy who voted twice for Bush and still thinks he was smart to do so. You may have some difficulty in puncturing his ideological bubble.

By objective criteria she is a poor parent who engages in exploitation of her children for purely personal political purposes.

He could keep the vendettas against critics or anyone else going while Sarah is doing her 'Democrats are American hating baby killing terrorist loving socialist Nazi Polanski-ish child molesters' in her down home Hockey Mom folksy fashion.

Don't need no Ferrari Testarossa, BMW, Ford or insurance bills, oil changes or gasoline.

I'm talkin' about life in the islands man.

Jamaica man. Abaco Island, Bahamas.

Just flip-flops and Bob Marley on the stereo. Read about the icy weather in Chicago or the USA, or the protests, while you under the sun, on the beach, relaxin, no troubles.

The island life is the best.

Where did the sudden concern for 'innocent lives' come from... and why now?

We have killed a million innocents in Iraq, doesn't the man know wars kill people, trials do not??

I would settle for a courageous effort to push back the limits of change, show what our government is capable of doing when push comes to shove, and to protect lives in the Homeland by a long over due lionhearted push for some society changing legislation. Ban texting messaging while driving.

Impossible. Any such bill would die in committee.

It would rock the boat too much. Republicans would doubt it would work, or is even needed, and would claim that it was the first step onto a slippery slope to taking their guns away.

Palin calling Obama a baby killer, a guy who pals around with terrorists, not a Real American, people shouting to kill him at rallies, others carrying guns in the streets, Palin saying he comes from a Party that would kill her baby and have death panels.

I remember John Lewis saying to John McCain to stop the hate.

Lewis, who knew hate, had not seen anything as bad as the Republican campaign fear and hate stoking rhetoric since churches were burned with kids inside in Alabama, Blacks were beaten in the streets of Selma and the bodies of college kids were fished out of ditches in Mississippi.