Potential opening for long-term debt deal

One of the most influential Republican operatives on Thursday give conservatives in Congress a loophole on their "no tax" pledge that can keep prospects alive for a long-term U.S. deficit reduction deal.Grover Norquist, the originator of Americans for Tax Reform and godfather of a "no tax" pledge that most Republicans in Congress have signed, tell the Washington Post editorial board that allow the Bush tax cuts to expire would not constitute a violation of with the purpose of promise.

He later told MSNBC television he would oppose any modify to the 2001 and 2003 Bush-era cuts to personal income taxes, but there were ways to technically not break the pledge."There are certain things you can do technically and not break the pledge but that the general public would clearly recognize as a tax increase," Norquist told MSNBC television.

Norquist's stance appeared to be a shift from his previous location and it could be a game-changer in negotiations among the White House and Congress to raise the debt limit before America runs out of currency to pay its bills on August 2.It could make it easier to craft the "grand bargain" that includes a deficit decrease plan as well as an increase in the debt ceiling. Republicans have demanded deep spending cuts earlier than raising America's borrowing limit, but talks have broken down as Democrats insist taxes be a division of the agreement.

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