that if we take the right policy steps, if we re doing the right thing, then the politics will follow. and my mind hasn t changed on that. jeff mason, reuters. where s jeff? right here. thank you, sir. my question is about syria. did president putin of russia indicate any desire on russia s part for assad to step down or to leave power? and did you make any tangible progress in your meetings with him or with chinese president hu in finding a way to stop the bloodshed there? thank you. well, these were major topics of conversations in both meetings. and anybody who s seen scenes of what s happening in syria i think recognizes that the violence is completely out of hand, that civilians are being targeted, and that assad has lost legitimacy. and, you know, when you massacre your own citizens in the ways that we ve seen, it is impossible to conceive of a orderly political transition that leaves assad in power. now, that doesn t mean that that process of political transition i