I’ve been marginally paying attention to the budget talks going on between the Republicans and the White House because I kind of knew the arc of the story before it happened.

The Democrats and the Republicans would get together with their spokespeople forecasting wary hope and partial promises that both sides were ready for “frank but productive” talks. This would be followed by some posturing, some leaks from inside the talks about a few tantalizing details, and as the deadline loomed, some key player would bolt with a dramatic flounce in order to put the pressure on both sides to reach a deal. “Breaking News” crawls on cable TV and other hilarity would ensue, then the negotiators — the real ones — would scramble to work out a last-minute deal in the middle of the night amongst empty pizza boxes in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, and both sides would take credit for their wins and blame the other side for their losses. It’s a golden oldie.

Yesterday it was House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s star turn; he flounced, and the rest of the gang went back to work. I may not know a lot about the intricacies of economics, but I do know something about drama queens.