January 5, 2009

Bernie, Barry, and the art of the con

By James Lewis
What kind of sucker do you have to be to fall for the lovable pretensions of a really high-class hustler? Well, apparently exactly the same kind of sucker who falls for a really high-class Ponzi artist. In fact, you might be the very same person in the flesh, just begging to be relieved of your excess cash. (Or maybe just your rights and freedoms.) It might also help to be a fatuous liberal of great wealth --- and even greater moral pretensions --- and shazzam! you're shark bait. Such is the history lesson of 2008.  (Take it to heart, kids, or you'll be sorry some day.) The similarities between Bernie Madoff -- now famed in song and story as one of the great Ponzi artists of all time -- and our new elite pols are just amazing. The difference is that Bernie is on his way to jail.  Maybe he just didn't aim high enough. But let me not take our new president's name in vain. After all, he will need our sympathy soon enough. That White House job only looks good from the outside....(Read Full Article)