Old Mike - your comment earlier about non- Americans having no right to have a view about this election issue shocks me. The mess the world is in right now in terms of financial markets, is down to Wall St / Bush incompetence. Everyone deserves to have a voice in this election, 'cos the result will impact the world. The US election IS a global issue, the results of which will impact every nation in the world, so take away the inward viewpoint, and accept that this election can be commented upon by anyone who stands to be impacted by the outcome. Just look at what's happening globally today / this week. Anything that happens in the USA impacts everyone, so everyone has a right to comment, be they Alaskans, New Yorkers, Brits, Russians...open your mind.
I was with you until the second paragraph. I think when some good post mortem books have been written, the world is going to see that the blame for the meltdown will spread much further than Wall St. At it's core, it's about greed and people living beyond their means on credit and that goes well beyond the length of Wall St.