Robert Gates, who will be retiring soon, is in Iraq for likely his last time. He thanks the troops and answers questions. The first question out of the gate is if a government shutdown will interfere with paychecks. Gates says they will be paid, but they might not be paid in full and in a timely manner. The fact that Congressional leaders haven't been able to compromise on the budget for the remaining six years of 2011 is sickening. The fact that politics has replaced governing is disgusting. Soldiers, of all people, shouldn't have to worry about a paycheck. Obama and Biden will be facilitating negotiations between Boehner and Reid again today at 1 pm eastern.
