It’s always been hard for me to avoiding the sneaking suspicion that it would be nice if Congress went out of business, a sentiment that has probably been harbored by more than a few Americans over the decades as they listen to the bombast emanating from the purlieus of the Capitol. Mark Twain, an acidulous observer of the Gilded Age that our own mirrors, observed, “Suppose you were a member of Congress and suppose you were an idiot; but I repeat myself.” For the most part it does things that are idiotic. It’s a place where people get to do things that are bad with impunity, a frat house for baby boomers. They get to spend money they don’t have, pass laws that they more or less exempt themselves from, enjoy free personal-security services, staffs that tell them how wonderful they are, lecture the rest of us about how patriotic and upstanding they are, and so on. Apparently last night both Democratic and Republican legislators were even hitting the sauce heavily.

Well, why not? America definitely has a bit of the Titanic feel to it these days. If President Obama and Congress can’t reach agreement in the next few weeks, then America’s standing and reputation are going to take a severe hit around the world with both severe national security and economic implications. A few weeks ago the Wall Street Journal editorial page referred to the idea of a government shutdown as a “kamikaze” mission. Whatever historical analogy you choose, things look increasingly perilous. Right now, the Capitol, you could say, is not that capital.