syndicated columnist mark shields and "washington post" columnist michael gerson. david brooks is off tonight. a few moments ago, the house of representatives did, in fact, pass the boehner bill by a vote of 218 to 210. they needed 216 to pass. there were no democrats among those 218. michael, what words would you use to describe, as a result of that vote a few moments ago, where we are now? >> well, i think it would be fascinating if it weren't so frightening. we have a situation where about 10% of the republican caucus in the house wanted to humiliate their own speaker in order to get a vote on a balanced budget amendment that is symbolic and completely irrelevant to the process. i think that's a sign of weakness on the republican part. it undermined their negotiating status in the senate. i think harry reid now has a lot of cards. i think he's gone to mitch mcconnell and said, what, do your people need to support my approach, the reid approach?" and that's what i believe to be the main approach that's taken and the housing will have to look at it again and they

. >> lehrer: mark shields and michael gerson analyze the week's news. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> well, the best companies are driven by new ideas. >> our future depends on new ideas. we spend billions on advanced technologies. >> it's all about investing in the future. >> we can find new energy-- more cleaner, safer and smarter. >> collaborating with the best in the field. >> chevron works with the smartest people at leading universities and tech companies. >> and yet, it's really basic. >> it's paying off everyday. the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: the sexual assault case against dominique strauss-kahn took a surprise turn today into legal limbo. it gave new hope

. >> here is what michael gerson wrote in the washington post, a pelel address to the nature, involves the limit the resources, prime television time and public patience. it is presumably the result of a strategy involving policy, communications and speech writing staff and then he wrote, last night's speech contained no new proposals and no serious attempt to reform the public debate so the president comes out on friday morning and makes another statement and it's kind of the same old story, why? >> because i think what the white house was doing. their attitude maybe we know this stuff and maybe the reporters know it and the media culture knows it, but the american people don't know it and he was speaking more directly to the american people and making a case to them. >> haven't the polls showed that the american people are already engaged very much in this? >> very much so. poll after poll shows that 65, 75,% of the american people are paying close attention to the debt debate. it's interesting because this president seems to think that he can take a page out of previous president's

michael gerson, a former white house speech writer, is a columnist for "the washington post." >> i thinkit is fair to say that conservatives are not just interested in a balanced budget. conservatives want a limited government, which is, you know, a smaller government, a less expansive government. that's really a conservative argument here that too much government undermines the independence and responsibility of citizens. >> the ryan budget drew sharp criticism from many in the religious communities, among them former congressman and ambassador tony hall. >> we need to get our financial house in order, but not on the backs of the poor and hungry. they didn't get us into the current mess and hurting them is not the way out of it. >> jim wallis is the editor of "sojourners" magazine. >> those of us who are christians are bound by jesus' command to protect the least of these the most. so we ask what would jesus cut? >> the two chairmen of the catholic bishops committees on domestic and international justice wrote congress expressing their "serious concern." so did 75 scholars, most of them

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