Just a few weeks ago, the House was threatening to force the President's hand by attaching partisan conditions to the upcoming bill to raise the debt limit. Since the New Hampshire primary, though, there has been an abrupt change of mood. The House GOP leadership now is discussing compromise. Two days after the primary, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said the House will work with the Senate and the White House to develop a package of attachments to the debt limit bill that everyone could accept. Passing a debt limit compromise could help salvage Bob Dole's faltering campaign and lessen the chances of a voter backlash.
Nothing is over until it's over, though.
The window of opportunity is very short. According to the latest estimates, the debt limit bill must be passed before March 15, when the government runs out of borrowing authority. Dole's candidacy must be resuscitated before the California primary on March 26, when the largest number of delegates will be up for grabs. All rights reserved Copyright and Legal Information .