Quote of the Day: Political Glory and Financial Disaster

Pithy, piquant, and probably too all true:

When historians recount the momentous events of recent weeks, they will note a curious coincidence. On March 15, Moody's Investors Service -- the bond rating agency -- published a paper warning that the exploding U.S. government debt could cause a downgrade of Treasury bonds. Just six days later, the House of Representatives passed President Obama's health care legislation costing $900 billion or so over a decade and worsening an already-bleak budget outlook.

Should the United States someday suffer a budget crisis, it will be hard not to conclude that Obama and his allies sowed the seeds, because they ignored conspicuous warnings. A further irony will not escape historians. For two years, Obama and members of Congress have angrily blamed the shortsightedness and selfishness of bankers and rating agencies for causing the recent financial crisis. The president and his supporters, the historians will note, were equally shortsighted and self-centered -- though their quest was for political glory, not financial gain.

It's called hubris, people, and you know how that always ends.

Then there's this latest from the Congressional Budget Office, along with this analysis: "We could be looking at a collapse scenario where we can’t borrow enough to keep up with our interest payments by the time this decade concludes." WHAT? REALLY?