[I keep thinking of alternative headline's for this chart on the bailouts. This is attempt #2 (#1, here: Opportunity Costs). -- lambert]

Barry Ritholz (go buy his book) presents this terrific chart:

[The left hand side of the graphic shows] the total costs to the taxpayer of all the monies spent, lent, consumed, borrowed, printed, guaranteed, assumed or otherwise committed. ... It includes the total outlay for all the bailouts to date. In just about one short year (March 2008-March 2009), the bailouts managed to spend far in excess of nearly every major one time expenditure of the USA, including WW1&2 (omitted from graphic), the moon shot, the New Deal, total NASA budgets (omitted from graphic), Iraq, Viet Nam and Korean wars — COMBINED [as shown on the right hand side].

206 years versus 12 months. Total cost: ~$15 trillion and counting . . .

The big story of 2008-2009* is summarized on the left hand of the chart: The largest transfer of wealth in world history. (The right hand of the chart shows how big the transfer is, relative to other historical events, like the relatively trivial moon landing.)

Note that all these essential events have nothing to do with the primariez, or with the election at all. Which should not be surprising, when you think about it, eh?

NOTE * March 2008 -- March 2009, meaning that the chart does not correspond exactly to what I would consider the primary wars period: January 2008 (NH) to January 2009 (Inaugural).