The idiots who decided to extort the debt ceiling for their ideological demands, because they're incapable of making their non-arguments persuasively enough in the usual court of public opinion, are not getting nearly enough shit for their psychotic, economically illiterate actions. Now the United States has the credit rating agency Moody's on its ass and is placing the government's debt rating under review — not over the manageability or size of the debt, but thanks this completely artificial statutory number.

Today is an exciting day, because we've discovered that there is a silver lining to these excruciating debt ceiling negotiations that can serve as a palliative for our fatalist misery and depression.

Barack Obama performed the latest scene in his ongoing "last reasonable man in Washington" reelection act today, during an impromptu White House press conference following the latest semi-failure of a debt ceiling meeting. Democrats need to untwist their panties about cutting entitlements. Republicans need to stop being monsters. John Boehner, though, is a great guy. C'mon, people: let's stop the nonsense and eat some goddamn peas.

Prominent legal scholars, along with many bloggers with no legal training whatsoever, recently have been floating the possibility that if a deal isn't struck to raise the federal debt ceiling before Treasury's August 2 deadline, then the Obama administration should use a clause in the 14th Amendment to declare the debt ceiling itself unconstitutional and continue to issue debt as usual. An interesting idea! But the Obama administration now appears to have taken this "constitutional option" off the table.

Now here's a good headline for America: "Cantor Signals Flexibility On Tax Loopholes." Does this mean that during tomorrow's White House debt ceiling meeting, the House Majority Leader may in fact consider modest revenue increases as part of any deficit-reduction package? Finally? No, not really.

The Republican party's ability to spontaneously organize around anything, just to show that they can, is a thing of beauty. President Obama wants a few hundred billion dollars in revenue increases to go along the $2 trillion in cuts that you want? Don't give in a cent, walk out, let the president excoriate you, and then get your entire 47-member Senate caucus to demand a comical balanced budget constitutional amendment as part of a debt-ceiling agreement, too.

The White House has maintained its unwavering promise that the President won't sign any major deficit reduction deal without substantial revenue increases. Much of this could come through closing tax loopholes and canceling ending major subsidies, but obviously the cornerstone of the White House's call for more revenues is to return the highest two income tax bracket rates to their Clinton-era levels. But yet again, it's starting to sound like that's being put on hold.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, one of the GOP's hot little pieces known as the "Young Guns," moonlights as a weiner who's incapable of negotiating to prevent America from defaulting on its public debt. He's just "pulled out" of his role as the House Republicans' leading negotiator in the ongoing talks with Joe Biden, and has demanded John Boehner settle the remaining "tax issues" so he doesn't have to.

At least some players in the world of High Finance are starting to ease up about the consequences of the United States defaulting on its debt. Until recently, the consensus had been that any default caused by Congress' failure to raise the debt ceiling would risk a calamitous panic, so the hike shouldn't be open to the politics of brinksmanship. But now that analysts listening into Washington are expecting a ceiling hike to coincide with long-term debt reduction measures, then, well, maybe a brief "technical default" of a "few days" would be worth it if Congress needs that time to strike a deal. Sounds easy! Let's do it. But maybe not? Because this all rests on a pretty thin reading of our irreparably broken political system.

Here's some lovely Thursday afternoon news: The credit rating agency Moody's has pre-warned the United States about the possibility of debt default later this year, saying that it will downgrade ratings on America's public debt — the safest investment in the world — from AAA to AA should an agreement not be reached.

The Financial Times' John Gapper weighs in with a new and elegant solution to the riddle that is deadbeat photographer Annie Leibovitz's descent into insolvency: Rich art collectors have no interest in buying her photographs, because they're not that good.

It's Tuesday, which means there's another creditor going after nearly bankrupt photographer Annie Leibovitz. As we mentioned earlier, Brunswick Capital says Leibovitz refused to pay $800,000 for helping her land financing to keep her solvent. We have the complaint.

Tax time is fast upon us, so New York's Department of Taxation and Finance has released its list of top delinquent taxpayers. One of them is Frederick Whittemore, a recently retired lifelong bigwig at Morgan Stanley. Taxes are for suckers!

Last week we told you that Regent/ Here Media, publisher of Out, The Advocate, and other gay titles, was ripping off freelancers. Oh, the tips that poured in! They are really deadbeats, apparently. New scathing complaints against the company, below.

Deadbeat celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz has a new debt collector to hide from: Art Capital Group, the artsharking operation to which Leibovitz had mortgaged her homes and photographs, has sold the debt to Colony Capital.

Annie Leibovitz's flirtation with bankruptcy apparently hasn't made her any easier to work with.

The New York Daily News reported over the weekend that none other than David Bowie may be coming to financially strapped celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz's rescue by buying her Rhinebeck, N.Y. estate.

Back in September, Annie Leibovitz "settled" her debilitating debt issues with high-class pawnbroker Art Capital Group. How'd she pull if off? By borrowing $6 million more from them.

It's been months since we outed some media deadbeats. Having trouble getting paid? Email me.

Nearly bankrupt photographer Annie Leibovitz has received an extension from the high-class pawnbroker to whom she owes $24 million —Art Capital Group has dropped their lawsuit against her and refinanced her debt to keep her out of bankruptcy.