e.j. dionne is still with us. anna marie, is a there is the secretary of defense saying don't listen to the president of the united states. yet another don't listen to the president of the united states day. >> pay no attention to the man in front of the curtain. >> yeah. yeah, yeah. that's a new one. >> i don't quite understand what's going on here. >> yeah. >> i don't understand, i mean, i guess -- it does seem to go to your acting president sort of theory, like if people are outwardly out there just saying, like, don't pay attention to the president, at what point do they decide, you know what, maybe -- >> how big a change is this? >> why even have, like, the fiction of someone who's not even a figurehead? >> yeah. >> you know? it's just -- i mean, it's on the one hand, it is good to hear someone say we're not here to take your oil, i hope it comforted the iraqis a bit that we're not going to, you know, seek to commit war crimes just out of the gate. on the other hand, yeah -- >> it will be interesting to see h