  We investigate the hydrodynamics of the QCD plasma using dimensionless
numbers built from the thermodynamics and transport theory of the plasma and
characteristic dimensions of the fireball produced in heavy-ion collisions. We
find that by the usual measures, dissipation is strong, and the fireball is on
the borderline of equilibrium. As a result, the system is richer in phenomena
than ideal hydrodynamics would predict. One general implication is that it may
be possible to get a direct view of the QCD plasma phase rather than having to
infer its existence indirectly from signals that come from the freezeout
isotherm after the fireball has cooled into the hadronic phase.
