Reflection: Founding Brothers Revisted----2009---Robert Rubin and Paul Volker---a duo to behold

Some years ago I had the pleasure of observing as my daughter read about the founding Fathers of our country---and the thesis of Mr. Ellis that the rivalry and competition between the very strong headed men who were our founders, turned out to be a strength.

Flip ahead---and indeed even the rivals were celebrated in the biographyof Lincoln by Doris Goodwin as a Band of Rivals that was present. However, after the details were all fleshed out, it always seemed to me that Grant's victories seemed to do more cementing of the team than anything, and the real success of Pres. Lincoln was only in the very last year.

So---As the new economic team for President Obama takes shape with the new Rivals being Robert Rubin, fresh off the bloom of being the architect of Citicorp which faced bankruptcy due to his leadership, and a staunch believer in the absence of any regulation, the very belief that has caused the current grief---Robert is going to be sitting at the table of rivals with Paul Volker---hero of those memorable years when interest rates were raised to dicipline the rambant inflationary times of yore.

I mentioned this train of thought to "Bear Trader" after church on Sunday----to which he replied; "Even Stalin had a team of rivals---and they all ended up killing each other---so there are some big limitations to the success track record of the "theory of team of rivals."

Stay tuned. This new team of rivals should be exciting.