When you're facing almost certain defeat you start taking bigger riskier swings.

We all know that the US not only can't pay back it's debt, but can't even stop the servicing costs from becoming unaffordable. At least that's true on the current trajectory, and any of the "reasonable" alternative trajectories.

So, you start doing things that might be disasters, but also could possibly get you out of the current predicament, if everything goes just right.