I'm not sure, Steve, that we fundamentally disagree. Your conclusions are actually closer to mine than to the Chimp article. It was actually arguing that there was no impact on the market from the appointment, which I think is not borne out by the market affect. I agree that perceptions do matter, and the perception is that the adults are coming to play. The market is responding to that. I also think that the descriptions of the players are deliberately misleading, but that is the point of the smirking chimp: smirking. I just don't like sloppy analysis, and that is my perception of the article.

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich