Today's edition of quick hits:
* President Obama, this morning: "This shutdown is not about deficits, it's not about budgets. This shutdown is about rolling back our efforts to provide health insurance to folks who don't have it. It's all about rolling back the Affordable Care Act. This, more than anything else, seems to be what the Republican Party stands for these days. I know it's strange that one party would make keeping people uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda, but that apparently is what it is."
* A "wolf in sheep's clothing": "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel sought to shred the credibility of Iran's new president on Tuesday, using his annual speech at the United Nations to cast the Iranian as a beguiling figure who used soothing words and charm to mask intentions to build nuclear weapons."
* Syria: "A group of international inspectors are now in Syria to start the difficult task of dismantling and destroying the country's chemical arms stockpile. A 19-vehicle convoy arrived in Damascus late Tuesday from Syria's border with Lebanon, escorted by officials from Syria's Foreign Ministry."
* To see congressional Republicans try to exploit this for partisan gain was just ugly: "War veterans from Mississippi and Iowa made it through barricades to visit the World War II Memorial on the National Mall midday Tuesday, despite all national parks being closed as a result of a partial government shutdown."
* Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) wants the House to pass the Senate CR: "We've lost this battle. We need to move on to the next one."
* He's not alone: "Cracks are starting to emerge among House Republicans on their government funding strategy. A handful of Republicans in the lower chamber on Tuesday embraced a 'clean' continuing resolution (CR): Reps. Pat Meehan (Pa.), Jon Runyan (N.J.), Scott Rigell (Va.), Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Frank Wolf (Va.)."
* E.J. Dionne: "In the normal course of things in a constitutional and democratic republic, parties win elections on the issues that matter to them. They pass laws or repeal them by majority vote. The tea party could not muster such a majority to repeal the Affordable Care Act because Democrats held the White House and the Senate in the 2012 elections. Lacking a majority, the extremists chose force. 'Do what we want,' they said, 'or we will render the country ungovernable.'"
* Texas Gov. Rick Perry's (R) wife accidentally sounded pro-choice, causing the far-right governor to scramble. Oops.
* Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) struggles to keep up with current events, and doesn't recall the bill that he voted to pass a few days ago. Wow.
* If you've ever wondered whether House Democrats get emotionally invested in ongoing debates, and get genuinely angry with Republican extremism, let Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) answer the question.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
