I agree that the Iraq War was about controlling both resources and dollars. From what I understand one of THE "dealbreakers" for Cheney and his oil buddies - what pushed them into active mode - was that Saddam Hussein was jerking around with the PRICE of oil, not the availability, and so was seriously damaging CheneyCo's ability to maximize their profits.

I can't agree with your enthusiasm about bankruptcies though, unless you think the whole system can be rearranged in a fortnight to not seriously damage those who go through it. Not talking about corporations that can rename themselves in the wink of an eye, but ordinary people who lose close to everything.

Now, if you want to talk about a radical solution, I'd be with you on the last-act Fight Club solution - high-rise collapse (intentional or not) and destruction of all electronic debt records, across the board. That's some architectural de-structuring I could get behind.

But more imporantly - just saw the news that Walter Cronkite died.

Ouch, very ouch.

Not saying that housing will rebound, and certainly not that anyone should be building unnecessary houses just to keep construction workers (those that are still around) engaged.

Responding to Defender of Truth about not calling massive bankruptcy a silver lining. It's not.

I do know this: a good portion of L.A. construction is in remodels as opposed to merely new construction. That market has gone away too, but it will definitely come back, to some degree. People will end up staying where they are, rather than "upgrading" to outlying valleys and beyond. And they will want to put modest resources into their properties, which will still be highly desirable compared to many regions - because of the climate. It will all be small-scale and fine-grained densification, which I see as very positive, and it will support a decent construction industry. L.A. is very fluid that way.

It won't happen immediately, but all you have to do is fly over L.A. to see how vast and interwoven is it's physical and economic network - mom and pop's on every corner, as well as the big economic engines of film and (some) industry down the street. It's the 6th largest urban area in the world. It's not going anywhere unless other mega-cities are going too.

That's a modest recovery that I WOULD defend.

I too remember vividly his commentary during the moon landing, and his deep sadness when he announced Kennedy's death. There was never anyone even close in terms of dignity and gravitas. And playfulness too!

He was blessed by living "in interesting times", but I think he would have transcended them no matter when he worked. He's one of the select few whose passing causes you to remember when and where you heard it.

Today, here.

damn, that was nasty. Walter Cronkite dies and this is your response? I thought you were above that sort of mud-slinging.

Ditto. Same boat.

Robert Reich's article today on Salon about health care is far more informative about the problems facing Obama's program. But they're just that - problems. They can be fixed, if we stick together on this.

It makes me crazy to come to Salon for news on this essential issue, only to find vague, misleading articles like this one. "American public.....losing faith." Really? In what way? It doesn't take much to explore the issue a little further, as Reich tries to do, instead of just piling onto reports of Obama's ratings, like a football game.

It ain't about Obama's pulse, it's about the 85% of the public who want this. Journalists take note.

You're exactly right. Thanks for your story.

The party and posters of "no" don't own anything beyond their incredible shrinking minority. Let's not hand it to them on a platter.

It took an epoch-making disaster of a presidency to clear the way for an epoch-making, mixed race, cool-tempered and can-do leader. We're still inside the changing of the guard, and we don't see how extraordinarily our world is being transformed.

Every time I see a new set of behind-the-scene White House photos, I'm still stunned. We have the most unlikely president that could have been imagined a mere 5 years ago, trying dutifully to deal with a perfect storm of Republican-created disasters. He's appointing interesting and accomplished women of color to Supreme Court and Surgeon General. He's engaging the world and erasing in 6 months almost a decade of bad faith from our leaders. He's the ONLY person in government pushing non-stop for healthcare reform, in response to the overwhelming wishes of the American people. He's stepping up to global warming. He's not only doing what we asked him to, but what we need.

And while our public landscape is changing, slowly but surely, what does the media see? Ephemera and horse races. That's to be expected - no one can resist empty calories and sideshows. Epochs are hard, ephemera is easy.

Except that it is the media's job to pick up on things of substance, one would hope. How about a poll on the media's effectiveness - critics, pundits, bloggers, all the non-elected who also live off the public's funds - while we're waiting for life-affirming laws to be pushed through?

Nice response, especially the revelation of the switch (or "button", as some claim). Made my afternoon.

Carl Smith is the man!

Hey Lind - book plugs are over on Paglia's page. And she's already got the Salon Contrarian gig.

"Sometimes half a loaf is worse than none, if the half is moldy and stale." Yeah, right, talk to those without a loaf at all - my ass it is.

Ditherer.