The White House adviser called the process "a spectacle" for a jittery country and said, "Let's hope it doesn't get repeated any time soon."

That's why, he said, the White House is pleased the agreement now placed before the House and Senate would extend the new borrowing authority through 2012, rather than for just six months, as many had argued.

Plouffe said that both the Democratic and Republican sides "now have a result that produces good deficit reduction at the front end."

He conceded that the process had "been messy," and said he believes the American people "obviously would like a little bit more compromise and a little less shouting."