America is in a real pickle these days – but just how did we get here? Jim Amrhein reminds us, in signature pull-no-punches style, that the man who just left the White House had an eight-year hand in this mess…

“Farewell, fair cruelty.” – Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

Like the unceremonious dumping of a codependent spouse once a new lover has come of age, America’s mainstream media seems to have stuffed the entire George W. Bush presidency into a shoebox and crammed it into the back of history’s closet…

I guess this should come as no surprise. For better or worse, a new era of American leadership dawns. And it does not serve the architects of an emergent ethos and by “architects,” I mean the mainstream media — to glorify, or even acknowledge, the achievements of past leaders…

Especially when they’re Republican.

The

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The mess that is Washington Mutual, Inc. (NYSE:WM) continues to be hit today, shares of WM are down 15% back down to the $3 level. Like the Masters said back in October 07, your days may be numbered as CEO Kerry, people are pissed. Fellow Masters, before you buy shares on the dip, wait for the dust to settle. Washington Mutual has lost $6.3 billion in the last ...

Financial Field Day today. Wachovia Corporation's (NYSE:WB) Ken Thompson is out and Kerry is next to go at WaMu. When your company stock falls 57% in one year, its over. More from Forbes.com: The board of the Charlotte-based bank said it asked Thompson to leave a few days ago, and acted Sunday to replace him on an interim basis with Chairman Lanty Smith. Smith replaced Thompson as chairman last month in a move the bank said "strengthens independent leadership" at the company. But several analysts on Monday questioned if Thompson's ouster means more problems at Wachovia, a bank that has weathered a series of setbacks, including mounting losses and federal investigations, in recent months. They also speculated that Wachovia could be a takeover candidate, though the bank said Monday that it plans to remain independent. "Golden West doesn't help," said Nancy Bush, an independent analyst with NAB ...