Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan, is a distinguished professor at the University of Chicago’s business school and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Readers familiar with Chicago school economics will see that the crisis has not led to a fundamental reevaluation of that school’s policy recommendations. The title of his book captures his thesis – Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures still Threaten the World Economy. Rajan writes clearly and his book is intended for the intelligent lay reader. His book contains no charts, graphs, or equations, doubtless at the urgings of the Princeton University Press. It is an ambitious book, for it seeks to explain the global crisis and different trends in the real economy and the financial sector in many nations.

But you want health care reform?

Ha! 60 votes.

They White House knows they can’t get approval for more TARP money through Congress, so they’re going to double the commitment to Fannie and Freddie from $400 billion to $800 billion and then they can use the money to buy up more toxic assets from the banks. With no Inspector General. No independent oversight. But they have to do it by December 31, because after that it requires congressional approval, which will never happen. So if you’re going to stop it, you have to do it in the next six days. Not a lot of time, especially given the media black hole between Christmas and New Years.

Of course, if it’s just corrupt when Republicans do it but fine if it’s your BFF, no worries.