It was a marathon hearing alright and a few things came as a surprise. 1. The exchange was at least decent unlike the pre-E.O. 464 era when some questions were downright ‘bastos’. 2. You could tell who studied the case and got the facts and the law right. (Who?) 3. The full force cabinet was a bit overwhelming and was really, well, a show of force. The senators could not afford to prance and be accused to grandstanding too much. 4. The executive stopped functioning for a day. 5. The $329 million dollar question remains: what is the status of the ZTE contract?