From today’s Washington Post political blog:

Republican leaders will soon be walking a tightrope when it comes to the looming spending debate.

But at least it looks like the public is on their side.

In addition to being a very difficult metaphor to picture (which side of the tightrope would that be, the top side?), it doesn’t even help make the authors’ point: If the Republicans are walking a tightrope between forcing Obama to make spending cuts and risking a government shutdown if a budget isn’t passed — which actually seems more like “playing chicken” than walking a rope, but never mind — then what is it that the public is supporting? Opposing raising the debt ceiling, according to poll numbers given in the article; but the GOP isn’t stopping the government from raising the debt ceiling, just demanding new spending cuts before it agrees to more debt.

So really, the public is on a different side of the rope. Good thing it has an infinite number of sides.