in case someone missed this . . . (earlier . . . )

The President will not negotiate on the debt ceiling . . .

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday that he will not negotiate with Congress over raising the debt ceiling, something Congress will need to agree to do early in 2014. "It is not something that is a negotiating tool. It's not leverage," he said, telling reporters in a news conference that he does not expect a stand-off over the issue. "I've got to assume folks aren't crazy enough to start that all over again," Obama said. (Reporting by Steve Holland, Mark Felsenthal, Roberta Rampton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)