Joe Nocera in the New York Times looks at the worst market crisis since 1929. But will Bernanke and Paulson’s "hail Mary" pass connect? The Economist examines ways the torn global financial market can be put back together.
The Palin effect may be fading fast, but Sarahcudda could still be a heartbeat away from a 72-year-old man with a body broken by the North Vietnamese and repeatedly ravaged by cancer. The New Yorker checks out the peculiar political landscape that shaped the potential president. Can’t get enough about the leggy governor? Rolling Stone shows, in a devastating investigation, how her reformer claim is crap.
In The Atlantic, check out "The Petraeus Doctrine." Will an Army built around counterinsurgency be ready for the next war?
Republican John Sidney McCain III quote of the week, from an article in Contingencies: "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous
nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in
banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less
burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."
And if you needed further proof, Salon looks at McCain’s terrible record on environmental issues.
Meanwhile, back in Phoenix, Google is leaving, as I warned two years ago. As the usual cheerleaders said this was further evidence of "the Valley’s" great economy, I wrote that Google was placing bets all over the country, and emphasized that Phoenix and Arizona would have to show their committment to science, research and the quality of life that attracts smart, young talent — not just retirees from the Midwest and bottomfeeder "businessmen" from California. Of course, I was merely derided for being "negative." So how’s that dependence on real estate and "business friendly" low taxes (meaning inadequate to the investments needed to compete in the 21st century) working out for you?
Jon, I don’t know why Google ever considered a site in Phoenix, for all the obvious reasons: the area’s lack of commitment to education, primitive technology infrastructure, bizarre political environment, etc.
As for McCain, I don’t think he was ever “ravaged” by cancer. If you’re ravaged, you’re not likely to survive. He had a couple of bouts with melanoma, one of which cause some facial disfiguration.