Now seems as good a time as any to panic

If the US bailout of the financial system fails, then we're all doomed. When you realise that the world financial system is in the hands of a fellow in his mid-thirties who rose through the corporate ranks by, one assumes, the usual way of selling one's soul, that's worrying. But when somebody uncovers the same Neel Kashkari's high school year book (says Gawker "the same page that a former teacher at Neel's school told us truly reveals his egocentric, douchebag nature") featuring a Ferrari, Rush song lyrics and the quote "All the world's a stage and we are merely players" attributed to Rush/Shakespeare then you realise we are in deep, deep trouble.

What fools these mortals be – Jeffrey Archer/Shakespeare.

Afterthought: such has been the catastrophic weakening of American power under George W Bush, US intelligence is now predicting the country's dominance will end in the next 15 years or so. There is a correlation between these two things. Obama's going to have to live up to his potential.