Back in the campaign tent a row of clowns sat before makeup mirrors frowning beneath painted red smiles as they meticulously affixed makeup. A few journalists were drinking shots of milk and gin in the corner telling Dan Rather stories. Werd was among them. A wreath of smoke drifted in a mobius strip around Werd's head as he chewed a lozenge and told the story of how he cleaned up his act since his rebellious youth. In the corner, Tinyman had passed out in a plate of cold French fries beneath a halo of flies. Stubborn defiance, Werd explained, was a highly subtle and nuanced undertaking.

The other reporters paused, then took out their notebooks to write that down.

Stubborn defiance, they wrote, is a highly subtle and nuanced undertaking.