Implications of Tax Deal

President Obama and congressional Republicans have learned sharply different lessons from the deal to avert the “fiscal cliff as they prepare to battle again over the next two months on a series of budget deadlines that carry risks such as crippling defense cuts and a government default.

By letting the House take up the Senate's fiscal cliff-dodging legislation that raises income tax rates on the wealthiest earners, Speaker John Boehner answered affirmatively a question that had been on many minds: Would he allow an up-or-down floor vote on a bill opposed by most fellow House Republicans?