Given the mess into which Wall Street's poor stewardship has sunk the US, the phrase “financial industry statesman” will be seen by the American public as a laughable oxymoron for some time. But there is a real risk that the justified hit to Wall Street's reputation will taint the standing of business more generally unless non-financial leaders wake up and take unconventional action. The perils of timidity at this moment are high. If business as a whole (and not just finance) is discredited by today's meltdown, the drive to renew American capitalism could give rise to steps that burden the US economy for years.
鑒于華爾街糟糕的駕馭能力使美國陷入了當前的亂局，在一段時期內，“金融業政治家”一詞將被美國公眾視為一種可笑的矛盾修飾法。然而目前存在一種真正的風險：除非金融以外行業的領導者能夠覺醒并采取非常規行動，否則華爾街聲名所遭受的理所應當的打擊，將令更廣泛的企業聲譽蒙塵。眼下，怯懦具有很大的風險。如果目前的經濟崩潰令整個企業界（而非僅僅金融業）喪失信譽，復興美國資本主義的努力，將導致令美國經濟負重多年的舉措。