Top Dems urge Obama to weigh unilateral debt hike

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell complained that Democrats are trying to avoid taking responsibility for Washington's out-of-control spending.

"The Democrat leadership hiding under their desks and hoping the president will find a way around the law on the nation's maxed-out credit card is not only the height of irresponsibility, but also a guarantee that our national debt crisis will only get worse," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement.

Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, said Senate Democrats "cannot ignore their responsibilities for political convenience — and the American people will not tolerate an increase in the debt limit without spending cuts and reforms."

The impasse has people on both sides scratching their heads over how it will be resolved. The anxiety is such that some on the left are urging Obama to mint a coin worth perhaps $1 trillion to be deposited at the Federal Reserve and drawn upon to meet government obligations.