Like little children scared about monsters under their beds, DC appears to be in thrall to fears of Invisible Bond Vigilantes. Krugman has been trying to slay these fears with logic and rational argument, but as any parent can tell you, fears like these are irrational and succumb to only one thing: mockery.

As the pressure for a Grand Bargain mounts and screaming about the Invisible Bond Vigilantes rises, let the mockery begin. It’s the only weapon that has a chance of success.

Fatster’s daily roundup of news you may have missed from Monday, June 25, including stories about Syrian women, Syrian rebels, Silvio Berlusconi, Zeke Emanuel, record corporate profits, Jimmy Carter, watching drone strikes, Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, Darrell Issa, Joe Biden, Loch Ness Monster, voter suppression, Ruch Limbaugh, Apple wages, oil workers, and much more.

I’ve always liked that expression – “the dog days of summer” – if not the hot and nasty weather it refers to. The Dog Days are, like them or not, upon us.