Many of these debt-fighters are determined to hold the line against a debt ceiling increase.

FORBES: Swelling Nostalgia For Gold-Backed Money And A Balanced Budget Amendment

Yet those who see prices trading sideways said that view of the debt ceiling talks might not hold this time around, given how gold sold off in late December and early January over the fiscal cliff squabbling.

FORBES: Gold Survey: Mixed Outlook For Gold Prices Next Week

Of course, McConnell knows full well that February is just days away and that he will get another large bite at the spending apple when the battle moves on to the debt ceiling where Congressional Republicans expect to hold better cards than they possessed in the current debate.

FORBES: Here's The Deal On The Fiscal Cliff Deal

If the Senate bill is rejected by the House Republican caucus, and the cliff deal is allowed to die, you can forget all that leverage the Republicans expect to have when they attempt to hold the nation hostage in February in the next debt ceiling fight in the effort to get significant spending cuts.

FORBES: Will Boehner-Cantor Rift Blow Up The Fiscal Cliff Deal?

Where once workers had to bend awkwardly to hold and whack headliners into place on the car's ceiling, a headliner now has sewn-in magnets that keep it in place on the roof's metal frame.

FORBES: Man Vs. Machine

Perhaps as early as March 31, the United States will reach the ceiling on the amount of debt it can legally hold, according to a letter Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sent to congressional leaders Thursday.

FORBES: Brinkmanship Begins Over Debt Ceiling Increase

What we have said all along is that it sends the wrong signal and it would be a mistake to directly link, tie, or hold hostage one to the other because of the absolute necessity of raising the debt ceiling.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

That is perfectly reasonable: until recently the Republicans had been exercising their clear electoral mandate to hold the government of Barack Obama to account, insisting that they will not permit a higher debt ceiling until agreement is reached on wrenching cuts to public spending.

ECONOMIST: America's debt