Jesus Christ's Savior Role Spurs Questions of Overreach

In a front-pager with the promising headline of "Fed's Crisis Role Spurs Questions of Overreach," the Washington Post casually tosses off this paragraph-two axiom:

In the past few months, Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke has burst through long-standing boundaries on what the Fed does. Bernanke's actions − many taken reluctantly − have repeatedly pulled the world from the brink of financial catastrophe[.]

Really? Bernanke has saved not just the United States but the world from multiple financial catastrophes? I wonder which ones in particular, and how a newspaper goes about confirming such a thing as incontrovertible fact?

When Bernanke took the reins at the Fed, Senior Editor Brian Doherty assembled a team of worthies to ask: Can we bank on the Federal Reserve?

Comments

Elemenope | July 17, 2008, 10:12am | #

Jesus Christ's Savior Role Spurs Questions of Overreach

Hah hah. You joke, but this is a fairly postmodern flippant way of expressing precisely what the Jewish theological problem with Jesus really was.

Other than that, this is sort of a "press fellates power holders" dog-bites-man story.

J sub D | July 17, 2008, 10:14am | #

In the past few months, Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke has burst through long-standing boundaries on what the Fed does. Bernanke's actions − many taken reluctantly − have repeatedly pulled the world from the brink of financial catastrophe[.]

I've got to start paying more attention to the news. What's Superman been up to?

Episiarch | July 17, 2008, 10:53am | #

I thought Bernanke was Lex Luthor, not Superman.

ike | July 17, 2008, 10:54am | #

I think the one time Superman is thought to have saved us was in the giant Societe Generale clusterfuck, where the inter-meeting rate cut forestalled what looked like imminent catastrophe of epic proportions (futures markets down over 400; if you ever watch futures, you know this is fucking unheard of)

Looming disaster actually turned out to just be this guy.

P Brooks | July 17, 2008, 11:10am | #

Really? Bernanke has saved not just the United States but the world from multiple financial catastrophes? I wonder which ones in particular, and how a newspaper goes about confirming such a thing as incontrovertible fact?

C'mon, Matt, get with the program; we are, by definition, the world's saviours. Haven't you heard about American Exceptionalism? Now, open the door and put some coffee on, and I'll explain it to you. You've got a couple of hours to spare for your salvation, don't you?

Pablo Escobar | July 17, 2008, 11:17am | #

This is why I love this blog. Blog titles like these.

Yeah, journalists these days really are a sloppy, muddle-headed bunch.

I've never met a journalist (or a politician, apart from Ron Paul) who knew anything about anything.

Smart people become economics professors at Chicago university, not politicians or journalists.

Warren | July 17, 2008, 11:33am | #

Bernanke's actions ... have repeatedly pulled the world from the brink of financial catastrophe.

That's like saying this years rain storms have saved us from catastrophic flooding.

the innominate one | July 17, 2008, 11:37am | #

Jesus saves at the basket, throws a Hail Mary shot to win the game at the buzzer the sound of St. Peter's Horn

DannyK | July 17, 2008, 3:29pm | #

You watch 24 ? Well, the character of Jack Bauer was based on Ben Bernanke. Notice how they're both famous for dropping things out of helicopters.