Angela Merkel

"Markets were thrashed again on Monday as the US Credit crisis spread worldwide. The Dow Jones lost another three hundred and seventy points closing at under ten thousand for the first time since October 2004. At one point the Dow was down eight hundred points but managed to recoup half. The day started with reaction to sharp declines in Asian and European markets.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "I say very clearly: we do need financial markets in a modern, global economy. But we do not need untamed financial markets, in which profit is the only thing that counts - and greed. What we need are financial markets with rules that fit into the social market economy. That's what it's about. And that's what we must achieve."

Cenk Uygur

"Sooo, why did he make up the story about Philadelphia? How bizarre. Right? Again, what was his excuse for screwing it up? 'Oh the engine died on me'. And guess what they found out when they did an investigation? The engine didn't die. In fact, he said, when he got in - the LA Times, man, great great piece, because they went back and they talked to the people that were in charge of the planes at the time. They found the guy who gave him the plane.

"He said it's funny because I remember - and every one of 'em likes John McCain. Don't get me wrong. They're all like: He's a good guy, man, he's a hero. But uh no, engine didn't die on him. He made that..."

"This guy says, look, he specifically asked me for a beautiful plane. And I remember because I joked around with him afterwards..., that's the last beautiful plane I'll give you...."

Springsteen in Philadelphia

In a letter addressed to friends and fans posted his Web site, Springsteen said he believes Obama is the best candidate to undo "the terrible damage done over the past eight years. He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next president," the letter said. "He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where '...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.' "

The bard of New Jersey is known for his lyrics about the struggles of working-class Americans, particularly in the economically ravaged factory towns of the Northeast.

Springsteen and his E Street band were part of the Vote for Change tour, a coalition of musicians opposed to the re-election of President Bush in 2004. He wrote the anti-war ballad "Devils and Dust" about Iraq.

Springsteen did not directly mention Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's rival for the Democratic nomination, in his letter, but appeared to take issue with her recent criticisms of comments made by Obama about working-class voters in small towns in Pennsylvania and controversial statements by his pastor.

"Critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships," Springsteen wrote. "While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision ... often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment."

John McCain

John McCain was accused of improperly aiding his political patron, Charles Keating, chairman of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association. The bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee launched investigations and formally reprimanded Senator McCain for his role in the scandal -- the first such Senator to receive a major party nomination for president.

At the heart of the scandal was Keating's Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which took advantage of deregulation in the 1980s to make risky investments with its depositors' money. McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating with federal regulators tasked with preventing banking fraud, and championed legislation to delay regulation of the savings and loan industry -- actions that allowed Keating to continue his fraud at an incredible cost to taxpayers.

When the savings and loan industry collapsed, Keating's failed company put taxpayers on the hook for $3.4 billion and more than 20,000 Americans lost their savings. John McCain was reprimanded by the bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee, but the ultimate cost of the crisis to American taxpayers reached more than $120 billion.

The Keating scandal is eerily similar to today's credit crisis, where a lack of regulation and cozy relationships between the financial industry and Congress has allowed banks to make risky loans and profit by bending the rules. And in both cases, John McCain's judgment and values have placed him on the wrong side of history.