It’s getting hard to keep track of the hostage metaphors here, but if I have this right then the latest from Boehner means the House GOP is keeping both hostages — government shutdown and debt limit — but has agreed not to shoot the debt limit in the head for another six weeks.

Press conference following meeting of House Republicans about to begin. Watch.

Indications coming from House Republicans are that they may pause before leaping over the edge and agree to raise the debt ceiling for a few weeks. The White House has indicated it will accept a short-term, no-strings-attached debt ceiling increase, but it’s also getting in another shot at Republicans for going so far down this road. Even Michele Bachmann is now calling default “foolish.”