[QUOTE=IntelTrooper;74643]I suppose very similar to how an economic crisis allowed a "progressive" administration to strengthen government control over the lives of its citizens.QUOTE]

You are correct, but, actually, that is exactly what 'progressive' administrations have been wanting to do since 1789. Check out the platforms of the formal Progressive Parties of TR, LaFollette, Wallace, McCarthy. Progressive has often been used as a way to sound like you are taking the moral high road while avoiding the 'socialist' label. Obama, like FDR, walked into such a mess that he was immediately convinced that his worst suspicions about capitalism were all correct. I think we are fortunate that Obama came on the scene so soon after the full extent of the debacle was evident. Had he come to power after 4 years of dithering, like FDR, his approach would have been even stronger.

Thanks for the tip. After a brief search, I found the full Petreaus dissertation (for free) through a blind 'PhD dissertation' link on the History News Network site.

Paul