Meanwhile, Back At The Lunatic Ranch...

House Republicans have now officially trashed last year's budget agreement by eliminating all agreed upon Pentagon cuts and replacing them with cuts on the poor, because screw Obama, that's why.

The House voted Thursday to override steep cuts to the Pentagon’s budget mandated by last summer's debt deal and replace them with spending reductions to food stamps and other mandatory social programs.

While doomed in the Senate and opposed by the White House, the legislation, which would reduce the deficit by $243 billion, is a Republican marker for post-election budget talks with the White House.

Members approved the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act in a party-line 218-199 vote. As expected, the bill was supported by nearly all Republicans — only 16 opposed it, and no Democrats supported it.

So at this point, the House GOP is probably going to work towards another shutdown in an election year as things get increasingly grim for Mitt Romney.  After all, what will they have to lose since they're going down anyway?  What makes anybody think they would ever follow through and keep their word?

We'll see how it goes.  I bet I'm using Shutdown Countdown again before too long.