rifkin and casey write today -- "the debt ceiling crisis has prompted predictable media laments about how partisan and dysfunctional our political system has become, but if the process leading to the current deal was a spectacle and a three-ring circus, as someone put it, the show's impressarios are none other than james madison and alexander hamilton. our messily political system is working exactly the way our founders intended it to." then i go toward the end of their op-ed piece. "the key point has been made" -- excuse me. let me start a paragraph ahead. "rarely in our system do the participants, whether in the white house, senate or house, achieve all or even most of their goals in a single political battle. but the key point has been made, few now suggest that we can continue on our current spending binge. that is the beginning of a consensus and a good start towards genuine change. the framers would be pleased at the spectacle." i thank the chair, and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia is recognized. a senator: i commend

rifkin and casey write today -- "the debt ceiling crisis has prompted predictable media laments about how partisan and dysfunctional our political system has become, but if the process leading to the current deal was a spectacle and a three-ring circus, as someone put it, the show's impressarios are none other than james madison and alexander hamilton. our messily political system is working exactly the way our founders intended it to." then i go toward the end of their op-ed piece. "the key point has been made" -- excuse me. let me start a paragraph ahead. "rarely in our system do the participants, whether in the white house, senate or house, achieve all or even most of their goals in a single political battle. but the key point has been made, few now suggest that we can continue on our current spending binge. that is the beginning of a consensus and a good start towards genuine change. the framers would be pleased at the spectacle." i thank the chair, and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia is recognized. a senator: i commend

context want to quote from an op-ed piece -- excuse me, the "wall street journal" written bo david rifkin, the two lawyers whose work i've long admired. and here's what they say to takm us back and perhaps remind us. that we fill the seats for a short period of time. we act within a system created by has the framers and we do oup best. rifkin and casey write the debt ceiling crisis has prompted predictable media and partisan and dysfunctional political system has become. but, if the process leading to the current deal was a spectacle and three rings circus as jam someone put it that shows sys impresario's are none of a van e james madison and alexander hamilton the messy political system is working exactly the th way the founders intended it to i will go toward the end of their op-ed piece.y i the key point has been made somi excuse me, let me start ahead. rarely in our system do theeir n participants, whether in the white house, the senate or the house achieved all or even most, of their goals in a single political battle. but the key point has been made. few now suggest that we canood c