The question!

On one side, given the very accommodative stance of central banks, there was an ocean of resources.

On the other, side given the honest to good real greed of intermediaries for pushing through deals even if that means bending the meaning of common sense, there were an ocean of homes to be sold and purchased.

The channel that allowed for the two oceans to crash into each other and create this ultimate financial tsunami were the AAA ratings awarded by the credit rating agencies that had been themselves empowered to do so by the financial regulators.

In a letter to the Editor of the Financial Times published May 11, 2003 I said “Everyone knows that, sooner or later, the ratings issued by the credit agencies are just a new breed of systemic errors, about to be propagated at modern speeds".

To me my comment illustrated what should be a natural concern for financial regulators expected foremost to be wise… but they did not seem to care.

To me my comment illustrated what should be a natural concern for influential economists and financial experts… but no one said anything.

How come?

In being able to answer that question, forthrightly, lies the way out of our current financial predicaments and our only chance for not ending up even worse.

In making the truly responsible truly accountable lie our best chances for taking that way out.

Mr. Alan Greenspan and friends. Look at what old soldiers do and learn to fade away. We do not need your search for excuses.