achievement as republicans consider a blunder. let's take you to washington to our cross fire host, newt gingrich. he has firsthand experience with government shutdowns. he's been there. mr. speaker, or newt, i guess, as we're now colleagues. you have played this game of who blinks first. you heard the president just then. what's your reaction? >> well, i think today's speech, like monday's speech, like tuesday's speech to the business roundtable, is one more step towa towards hitting head on. the president could have stayed in washington. he could have sat down and talked with legislative leaders. he could have tried to find a solution. this is his third partisan attack in one week. part of what he says is just plain not true. the fact is that since president eisenhower, we have over and over again had things attached to the debt ceiling, so he's making a case to the audience there that's baloney.