Quem controla a situação?
Publicado por JN em Outubro 1, 2008

Rob Rogers, «Pittsburgh Post-Gazette»
O colunista do New York Times, David Brookes, decidiu dizer o que lhe ia na alma na sua crónica de ontem:
In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt inherited an economic crisis. He understood that his first job was to restore confidence, to give people a sense that somebody was in charge, that something was going to be done.
This generation of political leaders is confronting a similar situation, and, so far, they have failed utterly and catastrophically to project any sense of authority, to give the world any reason to believe that this country is being governed.
Instead, by rejecting the rescue package on Monday, they have made the psychological climate much worse.
George W. Bush is completely out of juice, having squandered his influence with Republicans as well as Democrats. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is a smart moneyman, but an inept legislator. He was told time and time again that House Republicans would not support his bill, and his response was to get down on bended knee before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Gary Varvel, «Indianapolis Star»
O sentimento do Sr. Brookes foi, ao mesmo tempo, compartilhado por Steven Pearlstein, no Washington Post:
Politicians worry less about preventing a financial meltdown than about ideology, partisan posturing and teaching people a lesson. Financiers have yet to own up publicly to their own greed, arrogance and incompetence. And leaders of foreign governments still think that this is an American problem and that they have no need to mount similar rescue efforts in their own countries.
In the coming weeks and months, all of these people will come to understand how deep the hole really is and how we’re all in it together.

John Cole, «The Scranton Times-Tribune»

