President Obama is telling every news outlet that will listen that he now wants a “far reaching” debt-reduction plan that will stretch well beyond the next two years and would cover cuts to all three entitlement programs in exchange for tax hike concessions from Republicans. The move is a transparent effort at triangulation, as Senate Democrats are already saying they will not support any deal that includes cuts to Social Security. “Depending on what they decide to recommend, they may not have Democrats,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Del., told The New York Times.

But Democratic aides admit to The Post that they are unconcerned that any real cuts will happen since the White House announcement is obviously “a bargaining strategy intended to demonstrate Obama’s willingness to compromise and highlight the Republican refusal to raise taxes.”