But who was it that declared "my way or the highway" in these negotiations? Yes, there were major disagreements between the Vice President and Cantor. But only one is still sitting at the table. The other closed off any further negotiations, took his ball and left the game. Is that what you mean when you say "ideals trump party consensus"? Is that what any of us mean or desire when we elect people who we expect to get something done for the good of the country? It sounds to me like, while you say you don't like totally confrontational and unyielding negotiations, in fact that's what you really do like.

Not me. I've never been in a successful negotiation yet where one party walked away from the table.