As the Onion summarized it, gridlock has become an end in itself.

FORBES: The Cordray Maneuver

But there is a feeling, too, that that target date of April 10th next year may have become an end in itself, not a means for pushing on with reform.

ECONOMIST: Romano Prodi, Italy��s would-be record-breaker

Through this performance lens, government operations become a way to drive better results, not an end in and of itself.

WHITEHOUSE: Move Over R2, CPO is Here