Column: Don’t expect grand bargains from piecemeal progress

Earlier this year, it seemed there might be some hope for Capitol Hill when Congress dealt easily with raising the debt ceiling. But don’t let that single episode fool you.

As President Barack Obama and House Republicans circle each other over the forthcoming budget cuts known as the “sequester,” it’s a reminder that Congress and the White House have a complicated legislative agenda ahead — and that none of the items on it will come easily.

We’ll get to the specifics in a moment, but two things need to be said up front. The first is that despite Obama’s exhortations in his State of the Union speech, major policy changes will be difficult to make.

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