This entire thing was engineered from the beginning by Democratic leaders to generate a shutdown, and if he'd had to Reid would have stuck some "poison pill" in a "clean" CR at the beginning of the process to stick in Republican craws. It wouldn't be the first time. Remember the 2011 battles?

As another example, the debt ceiling fight was timed for this month by artificially "extending" it. The country's debt has been somehow "stuck" at about $25 million under the limit since May. I checked the October Treasury statement. It's stuck there right now.

The shutdowns are pure administration theater, designed specifically to affect people not normally politically involved. A number of things being shut down now, like the WWII Memorial, don't even use Federal funding.

We're being had. Don't buy it.