Lieberman predicts fall over cliff

WASHINGTON - Senators bickered Sunday over who's to blame for sending the country lurching toward a year-end "fiscal cliff," bemoaning the lack of a deal days before the deadline but bridging no differences in the debate.

With the collapse Thursday of House Speaker John Boehner's plan to allow tax rates to rise on million-dollar-plus incomes, Sen. Joe Lieberman said: "It's the first time that I feel it's more likely we'll go over the cliff than not," meaning that higher taxes for most Americans and painful federal agency budget cuts would be in line to go into effect automatically.

"If we allow that to happen, it will be the most colossal consequential act of congressional irresponsibility in a long time, maybe ever in American history, because of the impact it'll have on almost every American," said Lieberman, a Connecticut independent.

Wyoming Sen. Jon Barrasso, a member of the GOP leadership, predicted that the new year would come without an agreement, and he faulted the White House.

"I believe the president is eager to go over the cliff for political purposes. He senses a victory at the bottom of the cliff," he said.

Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, was incredulous at Barrasso's assertion that "there is only one person that can provide the leadership" on a matter so vital to the nation's interests.

"There are 535 of us that can provide leadership. There are 435 in the House, 100 in the Senate, and there is the president; all of us have a responsibility here," he said.

"And, you know what is happening? What is happening is the same old tired blame game. He said/she said. I think the American people are tired of it. What they want to hear is what is the solution."

No solution seemed any nearer, with Obama and Congress on a short holiday break. Congress is expected to be back at work Thursday and Obama in the White House after a few days in Hawaii.

"It is time to get back to the table," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), "and I hope if anyone sees these representatives from the House in line shopping or getting their Christmas turkey, they wish them a merry Christmas, they're civil, and then say go back to the table, not your own table, the table in Washington."

Predicted Lieberman: "We're going to spend New Year's Eve here, I believe."

Obama already has scaled back his ambitions for a sweeping budget bargain.

Before leaving the capital Friday, he called for a limited measure to extend George W. Bush-era tax cuts for most people and stave off federal spending cuts. The president also urged Congress to extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed that would otherwise be cut off for two million people at the end of the year.

"The truth of the matter is, if we do fall off the cliff after the president is inaugurated, he'll come back, propose just what he proposed . . . in leaving Washington, and we'll end up adopting it, but why should we put the markets in such turmoil?" Sen. Johnny Isakson (R., Ga.) said. ". . . Why not go ahead and act now?"

Obama's announcement late Friday suggested that a smaller deal may rest in the Senate, given the failure of Boehner's option in the House.

"The ball is now clearly with the Senate," Lieberman said.

Lieberman was on CNN's State of the Union, while Barrasso and Conrad appeared on Fox News Sunday. Klobuchar and Isakson were on Fox News Sunday, while Hutchison was on CBS's Face the Nation.