Mr. Mikati's government will function as a caretaker government until the parliament chooses another prime minister, which could happen as early as next week.
Still, caught in the middle are thousands of U.S. military members, teachers and federal workers who are at the backbone of government's basic ability to function.
Setting aside the larger question of whether imposing national education standards is a legitimate function of a limited federal government, let's turn to the specific question of whether or not national standards will lead to education reforms.