Erskine Bowles

CG&G readers know that I (1) don't think much of the Bowles-Simpson commission and (2) have been saying for months that there's a better chance we'll go over the fiscal cliff and fix it afterwards than getting a deal before it hits on January 1.

So what do I say when, as he did yesterday, Erskine Bowles said he agrees with me (although he didn't mention me by name) about the small likelihood of an agreement that prevents the fiscal cliff from going into effect?

On the one hand, it's flattering; on the other hand, perhaps I should rethink my calculations.

For the record, Warren Buffet also said yesterday on CNBC that a deal on the fiscal cliff was more likely to happen in January than in December.

(originally posted on The Will and the Wallet

For thirty-five years, the Egyptian people believed the myth and lived in fear, fear of the security forces and fear of the chaos and instability that might exist without a strong ruler.  They have just overcome that fear and created hope.   That collective psychic shift was the key to making the change they needed to bring about.