Arrived Lausanne

good ( )

Bailout Nation finds Barry Ritholtz performing a delicate balancing act, not one attempted by many commentators of the current crisis -- perhaps excluding Paul Krugman. Ritholtz is both incisive analyst and an angry, angry man. He's doesn't mind naming his villains by name, has no problem referring to members of entire professions as 'weasels,' and even provides a ranking of relative blameworthiness. Alan Greenspan gets the brunt of his criticism, with Phil Gramm and other 'free market ideologues' in a close second place.

The book is well structured and nicely written. In its indignation, it reads a little like something a right-wing talk show host would write, if he had the brains to do so. But Ritholtz isn't pushing a party line, just common sense.

Readers may find the book off putting and too much of a screed if they're expecting a measured, scholarly work -- though the cover art really should warn you. If the book has a major fault, it's that Ritholtz doesn't spend much effort explaining how to get out of the mess. He can tell us how we got there, not where to go. ( )