  We explore the structure of the spin foam-like vertex expansion in loop
quantum cosmology and discuss properties of the corresponding amplitudes, with
the aim of elucidating some of the expansion's useful properties and features.
We find that the expansion is best suited for consideration of conceptual
questions and for investigating short-time, highly quantum behavior. In order
to study dynamics at cosmological scales, the expansion must be carried to very
high order, limiting its direct utility as a calculational tool for such
questions. Conversely, it is unclear that the expansion can be truncated at
finite order in a controlled manner.
