Well, it's not a joke, Neal. And I'm not to be harsh or mean. But GNU is incomplete without the HURD. Linux works, but it's not GNU. It's GNU plus Linux, or GNU/Linux.
Linux doesn't have to be part of the GNU project to be part of the GNU system; our goal was *never* to re-write free software; it was to develop a entierly free UNIX-like operating system. In that sense, our goal is done. But the threat of non-free software still looms, take Linux as a prime example--it contains non-free blobs; so we now have GNU Linux-Libre that removes those blobs. Should we have a more powerful (software-wise) kernel? Maybe, maybe we could add those features to Linux, maybe we could write another kernel, or work more on the Hurd. But that does not meaen that GNU is somehow missing a key component to be considered `done'; we will be done when there is no or little non-free software out there subjugating our users. Not sooner, not later.
