of debt in the united states will soar. and, heck, that s one of the reasons people are turning to gold. there s a lack of confidence in the ability of the united states to manage its finances. chrystia, this is going to be something we re going to be talking about for months and years to come. the difference is that the u.s. investors still have a great deal of confidence in the u.s., in its flexible, political system, and the fact that we always pay our bills. well, that s right. and peter is absolutely right, but there are big differences between greece and the united states. the single biggest difference is the u.s. debt is issued in u.s. dollars. greek debt was issued in euros. and greece does not control the euro printing press. the united states does. that is a crucial difference, particularly now when the increasing volatility of global markets has actually made the dollar a safe haven currency. so even as we have seen increasing problems in america s fiscal situation, we