Remember that old song lyric, "call me unpredictable" from the Sinatra classic "Call me Irresponsible?" It looks like today the Republicans may be calling Trump both, and lots of other names for working out a debt ceiling deal with Pelosi and Schumer without GOP input:

Newsweek

After meeting with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders Wednesday morning, President Trump announced that he had cut a deal with the Democrats that would provide a first tranche of aid to victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as well as keep the government funded and solvent past the end of the month. With Congress facing a slew of do-or-die deadlines in September, Trump met with the leaders at the White House. When he spoke with reporters a few hours later, as he departed on Air Force One for a speech in North Dakota, the president praised House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, affectionately calling them by their first names and making no mention of the Republican leaders he had met with, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Shocked? Surprised? Wondering what the hell is up? You're not alone.

The remarkable turn of events left Republican congressional leaders, in control of both chambers of the legislative branch, "shell-shocked" and "visibly annoyed," and showcased how a President who also authored "The Art of the Deal" actually cuts one. Trump's stunning agreement to endorse a plan proposed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi came during a Wednesday morning meeting with leaders from both parties in the Oval Office, the first such meeting of Trump's presidency. [...] A senior Republican source described Trump as being in "Apprentice" mode, a reference to the reality show that made the President a TV star. Trump just decided to listen and then make a decision on the spot, the source told CNN. McConnell and Ryan were "blindsided by this," a Republican official told CNN. In fact, hours before Trump agreed to Democrats' proposal, Ryan had publicly called such a plan "ridiculous" during a news conference. The GOP leaders had no heads up or warning that Trump's decision would happen, Republican officials told CNN. Another senior GOP source described the two leaders as "shell-shocked."

Why now? I have no clue. Maybe Trump simply got fed up with politics as usual. He's always been an impatient, spontaneous actor. Or maybe he saw his falling popularity and decided enough was enough, especially since the unpopularity of Congress is even lower than his own. Or maybe he's trying to grease the skids for a Tax Reform bill, as some believe. We do know he's doing this on his own, without following the advice of GOP Congressional leader or even members of his cabinet, like Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. In short he's flying solo. How long it will last I can't tell you. But he is even open to working with the Dem leadership on replacing the DACA program Obama initiated and he just cancelled.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump turned to Democrats for a second straight day on Thursday to try to resolve the fate of so-called Dreamers brought illegally into the United States as children, a day after stunning his fellow Republicans by striking a deal with the opposition party on U.S. debt and federal spending.

Conservatives in the House are bound to rally against any deal he makes with the Democrats. The question is, can he hold onto enough GOP support in the Senate and House to actually accomplish something? I guess we'll find out. After a stagnant and failed start to his legislative agenda, it seems Trump is determined to accomplish something - anything - even if it means pissing off the Republican leadership and joining hands with the despised (to his base, and frankly to many of progressives) Senate and House Minority Leaders, Schumer and Pelosi.

I guess football season isn't the only thing that is returning after a long hiatus. National politics suddenly has entered a new, more active phase, as well. For the time being anyway, Trump has jump started the political games. Indeed, you might even say he flipped the board and started a completely new "season" of political maneuvering. What comes next is anyone's guess. But I can only assume there will be a big backlash from the Republican party of which Trump is ostensibly the leader. Stay tuned.