Government-Shutdown Watch: An Inside View   I mentioned
yesterday the uncertainty tax that the possible government
shutdown was imposing on "normal" government operations, as
people from National Park employees to members of the military
tried to figure out whether they could plan as far ahead as next
Monday.  Thumbnail image for hillary-clinton-secretary-of-
state.jpg  I included mention of one important Cabinet
Department that was not sure whether it could welcome a foreign
delegation arriving this weekend for long-planned talks. NEWS
UPDATE: I have heard just now, from a State Department
spokesman, that "The Consultation on People Exchange hosted by
Secretary Clinton and State Councilor Liu Yandong will still
proceed as planned even during a shutdown." So there! And that
is good news. State Councilor Liu Yandong, fyi, is the highest-
ranking woman in the Chinese government.  Despite this
development, a reader's account of other shutdown-related churn
at State:  >>As the spouse of a federal government employe