Did the game tide just turn?

The Gray Lady cleared her throat this morning and declared: "Obama and Boehner Close to Major Budget Deal, Congressional Leaders Are Told." That's big news, if the New York Times is right. The White House and House Speaker Boehner quickly denied it. Which is exactly what I'd expect. Both sides still wish to preserve their flexibility in the debt ceiling talks. But dug in along the ideological divide, the progressive blogosphere doesn't want to believe it. Steve Benen is representative of this POV: "It's tempting to think these are pro-forma denials, and a major breakthrough may actually be close at hand. I'm afraid that's probably wishful thinking -- the safer bet is that the NYT piece is jumping the gun." He goes on to argue that any "Grand Bargain" could not possibly be "a good bill"; and that "there's still no reason to think Boehner can get it through the House." Pundits tend to be small-bore thinkers. Virtually no one thought Obama would get Congress to pass his health care bill -- until he did. I suspect the NYT has gotten the basic story right. Don't be surprised if Mr. Obama shoots another three-pointer from downtown.