Harry Reid rejects Boehner gambit: “We will not go to conference with a gun to our head.”

In a last minute pivot, Speaker Boehner is now seeking a conference committee to resolve the differences between the House and Senate — rather than sending a clean CR, or any other CR — to the Senate. This means a government shutdown will probably begin at midnight ET anyway.

For those who have been following the budget process in Congress closely, there’s a lot of chutzpah in this move, since Republicans have for months been resisting a conference committee to resolve the budget impasse. Conservatives in particular have fiercely opposed a conference committee resolution to these matters because they see it as guaranteed to lead to a compromise. Anathema.

Still not clear how this latest move will play out. Awaiting reaction from Senate Democrats, who will undoubtedly find no good faith at all in this last-minute gambit.

The Senate rejected the latest House anti-Obamacare cum temporary government funding bill on a 54-46 vote. Tired of this yet?