REPUBLICANS HAVING WON, THE ONLY QUESTION IS HOW MUCH TO CUT HOW FAST:

The first round of sequestration last March has already brought discretionary spending down to about $986.7 billion. A second round in January would cut an additional $20 billion approximately -- largely from defense.

Implicit in Ryan's remarks is a warning that Republicans won't back away from sequestration simply to protect defense. But the chairman was clearly signaling he is open to a good-faith bargain in which mandatory savings can be substituted for appropriations to restore more order for both sides. [...]

Democrats admit privately that it is very doable to have a short-term fix for sequestration, relying on perhaps $75 billion to $100 billion in mandatory savings already in President Barack Obama's 2014 budget.

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