"Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities." -- Winston Churchill "[European] leaders have acted only in the face of impending disaster, and then with half-measures. Markets operate on a faster timetable." -- The Economist, July 14, 2011 As leaders in the United States and Europe wrestle with their respective financial dilemmas, the focus in our media has been on the US debt ceiling negotiations. The issue wit