An observation, but good to see, courtesy of NakedShorts, Greg Newton
An intriguing picture
The New York Times yesterday carried a mostly soporific tale of Barack Obama, fresh from rocking at least a couple of European capitals, meeting “with a group of 20 prominent economists, former government officials and business and labor leaders to discuss problems like vanishing jobs and rising food and fuel costs” blah blah blah.
But look more closely at the photo, showing Obama with former Clinton cabinet members Larry Summers and Robert B. Reich. In the background, a couple of familiar faces: Bush’s first Treasury secretary (and former Yankees outfielder) Paul O’Neill (seated, between Summers and Reich), and inflation’s nemesis, former Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul Volcker (standing, between Reich and Obama).
While O’Neill had his issues at Treasury, some arising from his stylistic variations on the “A strong dollar is in the best interests of the US” voice chip implant and others stemming from his refusal to gargle Rovian Kool-Aid, he did seem to be grounded in something resembling the real world. Volcker, of course, was the last Fed chairman with the testicular fortitude to remove the punch bowl for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Intriguing.
Candidates Return Focus to Economy and Jobs
by Larry Richter
The New York Times Jul. 29 2008
