"I frankly believe we have such little time to waste, and we've been hung up now in a really irresponsible way for longer than we should have. . . . We've cobbled it together a pretty good bit, and for us to go back through extensive months and months of hearings? Absolutely not," he said.

As for a possible presidential change, he said, "I don't think it stalls the process out terribly long. I think there's a sense of urgency there that we'd better move on with this thing. We've just been stymied and stalemated the last five to six months in Washington, largely because of presidential politics."

Both Craig and Cannon said a crisis may be necessary to prompt action. Cannon said it "may be what it takes to move us to the next level."

Craig sees the recession as a window of opportunity to make infrastructure improvements.

"It's really amazing to me we do not respond as a country until we are in crisis, and right now we have the luxury of being out of it for the moment. But all of us know well that we're back into it the moment this economy really turns on again, and we've not in the interim done all the right things necessary."

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