Boehner: Shutdown 'Isn't Some Damn Game'

Things are getting testy on Capitol Hill. John Boehner lashed out at President Obama at a news conference today, demanding he open talks with House Republicans. "I was at the White House the other night and listened to the president explain to me some 20 times why he's not going to negotiate," he said. He took particular exception to a quote in today's Wall Street Journal from an anonymous administration official, who said it didn't matter how long the shutdown lasted, because "we are winning."

"This isn't some damn game!" Boehner said. "All we're asking for is to sit down and have a discussion and … bring fairness to the American people under ObamaCare." The White House has officially disavowed the "winning" comment, USA Today reports. "There's no winning," Obama said. "No one is winning." (Republicans had their own winning moment yesterday.) The Journal interprets Boehner's comments as evidence that Republicans are sticking to their health care guns, and won't end the shutdown soon. Democrats have been making a target out of Boehner, Politico reports. "His job is not as important as our country," Harry Reid told CNN. (More John Boehner stories.)