Akkam’s Razor

Oh Dear. Hank Paulson’s transcript, via Calculated Risk:

The federal government must implement a program to remove these illiquid assets that are weighing down our financial institutions and threatening our economy. This troubled asset relief program must be properly designed and sufficiently large to have maximum impact, while including features that protect the taxpayer to the maximum extent possible. The ultimate taxpayer protection will be the stability this troubled asset relief program provides to our financial system, even as it will involve a significant investment of taxpayer dollars. I am convinced that this bold approach will cost American families far less than the alternative - a continuing series of financial institution failures and frozen credit markets unable to fund economic expansion.

If you are aware of all internet traditions, you may be reminded of the above picture, which was inspired by this scene in Star Wars:Return of the Jedi with Admiral Ackbar:

Perhaps I should have retitled this post as from the Department of Mixed Metaphors or Unintended Interpretations?

• Joe Bageant: Moving to the Center of Elite Consensus - What voters are expected to believe is that after a 30-year class war against the bottom 90% of income earners, the source of their troubles are black rappers and inner city fathers and not criminality on Wall Street or a corrupt political system. The road to the White House over the past 30 years has been paved by pretending to believe the absurdity that the individuals who pull the levers of power over people's lives are named Willie Horton, Sister Souljah and Ludicrous, and not Robert Rubin, Phil Gramm and Hank Paulson.