Congress’ political brinkmanship over the government shutdown may unfold as merely Act One in a greater saga, leaving the potential for a bad situation to warp into something much, much worse. With less than two weeks to raise the debt ceiling or risk the U.S. defaulting on its legal obligations, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew took to Sunday’s morning shows to sound the alarm. On Meet the Press, Lew explained that the U.S. hit the debt limit in May, and that he has already exhausted all of the “extraordinary measures” at his disposal to fulfill fiscal obligations. On October 17, Lew said, America would be left with only ... (full story)