"The superficial logic that so often passes for thought in Washington typically sees causation where there’s only correlation."

Robert Reich:

...In fact, there’s no reason to believe that Clinton’s lurch rightward at the start of 1995 is what won him re-election the following November. He was re-elected because of the strength of the economic recovery...

Best to read the whole thing, because this man is one who knows it from the inside.

The Laureate is going to duck out of the budget battle, thinking he's playing n-dimensional chess for the victory in 2012. In reality he's playing a high-stakes shell game, and thinks he's the shill, when he's really the mark.