GOP Hopefuls Shun Mitch McConnell's Plan

Mitch McConnell's budget compromise plan has been met with either rejection or silence from the GOP's White House contenders. Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and Ron Paul have come out against the plan, and not a single candidate has endorsed it, reports AP. Bachmann and Paul have pledged to vote against raising the debt ceiling. "Republicans cannot take the bait and get fooled again," Paul said.

Democrats—signaling that the debt debate will be a major campaign issue—haven't let Romney's silence on the plan go unnoticed. "Anyone heard from Mitt Romney lately? Where is he on the McConnell plan? On the debt talks? On the impact of a default? Why so quiet?" tweeted former Obama adviser David Axelrod. Sarah Palin, meanwhile, says McConnell's plan "makes no sense because it cedes power to Obama," Mediaite reports. "We cannot default, but we cannot afford to retreat—we have to reload," she told Sean Hannity. (More Election 2012 stories.)