to wind their watch, which is to say they don't seem to know what it is -- how this will resolve itself. the republicans are sort of doing the equivalent of an end zone dance right now. but it may be premature. but, you know, i keep thinking if you're a soldier in afghanistan on some lonely post, moment to moment on the raise doctor's edge of danger, and you hear or you see on your computer the government is in a shutdown mode, the u.s. government is in shutdown mode, what must they think? what must the chinese think while they're smiling, if not indeed smirking saying this is supposed to be a better system than ours? now, for the american public, what it does, mixing my metaphors here, it forces the public to drink deeply again from the chalice of cynicism of neither side really has the country's best interest at heart. they had their reelection chances and the fight of their party, but not the country. what -- >> well, let me stop you there. do you think that -- do you