What characterizes American government today is not so much dysfunctional politics as it is ruthlessly contrived governance carried out behind the entertaining, distracting and disingenuous curtain of political theater.

As the dust settles on the aftermath of the health reform summit, not much has changed. Not that anyone really expected anything to change, much, to be honest.

There are two yardsticks for success. The first is to actually get something done, and get something passed; the other, to position the Democrats politically for the midterms, whether a bill gets passed or not.

Even considering the long list of mistakes perpetuated by this Administration on the American people, the war in Iraq is by far the most urgent problem president-elect Obama must address.