Republicans rip White House in shutdown counter-attack

Washington (AFP) – Republicans launched an angry counter-attack Friday as the USgovernment shutdown dragged deep into a fourth day, with House Speaker John Boehner fuming: “This isn’t some damn game.”

President Barack Obama meanwhile digested an embarrassing blow to his foreign policy and the US image abroad after he was forced to cancel plans to jet to Asia for a pair of diplomatic summits.

Boehner jumped at the chance to seize the high ground by citing an unnamed official who was quoted speaking dismissively of the shutdown, which has sent hundreds of thousands home without pay.

Summoning outrage at a news conference, Boehner said: “This morning, I get the Wall Street Journal out and it says, ‘well, we don’t care how long this lasts, because we’re winning.’

“This isn’t some damn game. The American people don’t want their government shut…