Would you be happy if the Obama healthcare package passes just as he lays it out, or would you want some tweaking done on it by Congress?

If an impasse remains in place, Obama warned, Republicans' rejection of his version of deficit reduction plans would be enough to send financial markets skidding. "What's been holding us back is the dysfunction here in Washington," he said. In his statement, Boehner, R-Ohio, called Obama's comments "ironic," saying that "a recurring theme of our negotiations was his unwillingness to agree to anything that would require him to stand up to his own party.

Needed cuts and reforms that the president agreed to just last year were no longer on the table, as he cited an inability to sell them to Democrats. "In an effort to get the president to agree to cut spending -- which is the problem -- I put revenues on the table last year, and I put them on the table again last month. Republicans made every effort to reach the 'balanced' deficit agreement that the president promised the American people, while the president has continued to insist on a package skewed dramatically in favor of higher taxes that would destroy jobs.

We've been reasonable and responsible. NBC News' Frank Thorp contributed to this report.