maybe. the president warned republicans wednesday though not to use the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip. >> if congress in any way suggests that they're going to tie negotiations to debt ceiling votes, and take us to the brink of default once again, as part of a budget negotiation, which by the way we have never done in our history until we did it last year, i will not play that game. >> well, but on the debt ceiling point, republicans are united. there is a lack of unit on the tax rate issue, not on this one. politically a limited victory on middle class tax cuts could be the worst kind of victory for the white house because it could tip the leverage and enlarge the debate over spending and entitlements to the republicans. they don't care if the political popularity goes down on this. they think they could still have this leverage. one thing that could ferment all