Obama 'was spewing coals' after John Boehner refused to do historic debt deal

• The Price of Politics by Bob Woodward reveals how close Obama and Boehner were to establishing a new historic debt deal
• But at a key moment in the discussions Boehner called off the deal - leading to Obama completely losing his temper
• One member of staff in the room at the time said Obama gripped the phone so tight he thought it would break
• Boehner said: 'He wasn't going to get a damn dime more out of me'
• 'I was pretty angry' admits President Obama
  

By Anthony Bond

PUBLISHED: 04:53 EST, 6 September 2012 | UPDATED: 07:37 EST, 6 September 2012

President Obama lost his famous cool and 'was spewing coals'? with House Speaker John Boehner during the collapse of a historic spending and debt deal between the two men, a new book has revealed.

The Price of Politics by Bob Woodward reveals how close Obama and Boehner were to defying many in Washington by establishing a new framework for spending.

But at a key moment in the discussions last summer, with an agreement close, the book says Obama called Boehner to press for additional taxes - only for the entire deal to then collapse and Obama to completely lose his temper.?

Angry: President Obama, right, lost his famous cool and 'was spewing coals' after losing his temper with House Speaker John Boehner, left, during the collapse of a historic spending and debt deal last summer, a new book has revealed

The President says he raised the possibility of putting more revenue into the deal. However Boehner? says the President would have needed an additional $400 billion through tax reform.

According to the book, as reported by ABC News, President Obama called Boehner three times during one day to speak about his latest offer for the deal.

But the House Speaker did not return the phone call for most of the day - described in the book by Woodward as a 'monumental communications lapse' between the two men.

When the call was finally returned from Boehner, he called off the entire deal after the House Speaker felt he could not come to an agreement with the President.

This created a furious reaction from the normally relaxed Obama.

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One member of staff in the room at the time said Obama gripped the phone so tight he thought it would break.

Speaking to Woodward, Boehner said: 'He was spewing coals. He was pissed?. He wasn't going to get a damn dime more out of me.

'He knew how far out on a limb I was. But he was hot. It was clear to me that coming to an agreement with him was not going to happen, and that I had to go to Plan B.'

Breakdown: Obama called Boehner three times during one day to speak about his latest offer for the deal. But the House Speaker, right, did not return the phone call for most of the day. Boehner is pictured with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney

SECRETIVE MEETINGS TOOK PLACE DURING A TIME OF HIGH PRESSURE

The stakes at the time of the secret meetings between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner could not have been any higher.

The one-on-one meetings took place as America's leaders were attempting to prevent a default which could have shattered the confidence of financial markets and created a crisis in the world's economy.

The secret meetings between President Obama and Mr Boehner were over how to set the federal debt ceiling.

They emerged through their joint frustration over progress to reduce the nation's huge debt problems. The budget plan was going nowhere and no solution to the deficit was imminent.

The pair held the meetings at the White House in the hope of creating a 'big deal'. However, as the book revealed, the deal between the two men broke down and their relationship soured.

Eventually the nation's leaders made a deal to cut spending and extend the nation's debt threshold.

However, this will also lead to tax hikes and cuts to programs such as defense spending by the end of this year.

Obama's battle with Republicans over fiscal policy dominated the agenda in the White House for much of 2011 and is still unresolved.

To this day, both the President and Boehner disagree on the reasons why the deal collapsed at the last minute.

President Obama and his staff believe Boehner pulled back from the agreement because of political pressure from the Republican party, saying he took the president's proposal as an excuse to pull out of the talks.

But one thing both men agree on is how Obama lost his temper.

Speaking to Woodward about the breakdown in negotiations between the two men, Obama said: 'I was pretty angry.

'There's no doubt I thought it was profoundly irresponsible, at that stage, not to call me back immediately and let me know what was going on.'

Despite the accusations between the two men now, during the negotiations both men developed a close working relationship.

It started with a golf summit and continued with detailed conversations on the Truman balcony and patio outside the Oval Office.

Woodwood reports that Boehner would drink red wine and smoke cigarettes while the President drank iced tea and - having quite smoking - chewed on Nicorette.

However, revealing how important the debt negotiations were at the time, Obama compared the talks with the decision to launch an attack on Osama bin Laden's compound.

The president told Woodward: 'I would willingly lose an election if I was able to actually resolve this in a way that was right.'

Revelations: The latest book by Bob Woodward, pictured left, called The Price of Politics, right, reveals how close Obama and Boehner were to defying many in Washington by establishing a new framework for spending

Some people close to the negotiations at the time criticised the White House, with one democrat saying the administration did not seen to have a strategy.

Boehner was also critical.

'The president was trying to get there. But there was nobody steering the ship underneath him.?

'They never had their act together. The president, I think, was ill-served by his team. Nobody in charge, no process. I just don't know how the place works. To this day, I can't tell you how the place works. There's no process for making a decision in this White House. There's nobody in charge.'

Once the agreement between the two men fell apart, it was Boehner's 'Plan B' which helped to avoid the country defaulting on its debt for the first time, the book reports.

Temper: When the deal between Boehner and Obama collapsed, the President, is said to have gripped the phone so tight a member of staff thought it would break. Obama is pictured with former President Bill Clinton

It led to the President being excluded from many of the key discussions as congressional leaders worked on a late framework to avoid a major financial crisis.

With no agreement made and pressure increasing, the book says David Krone, the chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, told the president directly 'It is really disheartening that you, that this White House did not have a Plan B.'

Eventually a deal was made to cut spending and extend the nation's debt threshold.

However, this will also lead to tax hikes and cuts to programs such as defense spending by the end of this year.

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Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2199099/Obama-spewing-coals-John-Boehner-refused-historic-debt-deal.html?ITO=1490

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