Over the past six years the House Republicans have repeatedly snuffled up the sugar that had been meant to make the bitter pill of entitlement reform go down, without swallowing the hard stuff.

• 在过去六年当中，议院的共和党人一直在含糊其辞，试图使彻底的授权制度改革这粒苦药包一层糖衣，然后自己服下。