A Heroine for Our Time -- Brooksley Born

When I started blogging back in October 08 with screeds against Rubin, Summers, Greenspan, and Phil Gramm (The 4 horsemen -- Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil, and Evil) I did mention "our gal Brooksley Born" as the voice in the wilderness back in the late 90's.
Today, the Washington Post has a wonderful profile of Born, and it's a MUST READ for 2 reasons.
First, it should make us email the White House, demanding that Larry Summers actually apologise for his role in the meltdown as a condition for keeping his job. Alan Greenspan did it, and I've forgiven him. Phil Gramm is a jerk, and he's now out of Congress, so we won't worry about him. Rubin...well, he's only in the background today, and he made a half-apology, which is good for neanderthal man. But Summers has apologised only for not having predicted an 8-year Republican administration that would 'ruin' all his great work. (Heard that one on Boston's WBUR On Point, April 3, 2008.) Is an apology enough? For that man, it's a necessary first step to humility, the economist's equivalent of sobriety.
Just as important, though, is the profile of Brooksley Born's life in the Post article, which should be read by every post-feminist woman (i.e., 20-somethings) who hasn't lived in a time when a truly extraordinary woman would face barriers at every turn. I was shaking after reading the story. She was a pioneer at a time when professions weren't open to women, and she was active in the women's movement to help open up opportunities. Sandra Day O'Connor's and Ruth Bader Ginsburg's stories we know. Brooksley Born's I didn't. I love her!