Although the shutdown stalemate in Washington continues, the Obama administration seems confident that it has already won this war.  A quote from an unnamed senior administration official in today's Wall Street Journal explains why:

Terry Holt, a longtime Republican strategist, said Mr. Obama's strategy rests on a cold-eyed calculation that Republicans are the ones with the most to lose. "As long as the president thinks his poll numbers are going to be good, I don't expect the government to reopen," he said.

Said a senior administration official: "We are winning...It doesn't really matter to us"how long the shutdown lasts "because what matters is the end result."