Thanks for saving the world from a second Great Depression, Ben Bernanke! Now, what have you done for us lately?
It's actually a reasonable question. Bernanke was TIME's Person of the Year 2009, and at the time we urged Congress to put politics aside and confirm him to a second term as Federal Reserve chairman. Much of the opposition that's been building lately to Bernanke's confirmation consists of Republicans who want to obstruct anything President Obama wants and Democrats who want to obstruct anything Wall Street wants. But while Bernanke performed brilliantly during the worst financial panic in 75 years, it's fair to ask why he isn't doing more now to fight unemployment (the left's chief complaint) or inflation (the right's chief complaint).
