As Deven Sharan the President of Standard and Poor’s was working furiously at his desk a flash of light streaked across the skies above and came to rest beside him.

Was it the case against DSK going up in smoke or the light at the end of the tunnel for the debt ceiling crisis?

No, it was Palinpower.

‘Hi Dev’ said Palinpower ‘hope you don’t mind me popping in for a chat like this’

‘Of course not Palinpower’ said Deven ‘to what do I owe the honor of this visit?’

‘Well Dev’ said Palinpower ‘I wanted to discuss your threat to downgrade the US’s Triple A credit rating. You’re not serious are you?’

‘If the US defaults on its debt repayments’ said Deven ‘I’ve got no choice’

‘Let’s be frank about this’ said Palinpower ‘Obama knows about as much about economic management as Rupert Murdoch claims he knows about hacking. You can’t downgrade the world’s largest economy just because we’re stuck with a president who hasn’t got a clue about where the buck is supposed to stop’

‘Standard and Poor’s has its enviable reputation to think about’ said Deven ‘If the US defaults and doesn’t initiate a credible debt reduction policy then it has ‘risk’ written all over it and it will be ‘A and away’ as far as its credit rating is concerned’

‘Oh come on Dev’ said Palinpower ‘Obama will be out on his ass by Jan 2013 and then there’ll be someone sensible in charge like me’

‘What measures would you bring in?’ asked Deven

‘Well first of all’ said Plainpower ‘I’d kick out the entire White House staff and replace them with the team I worked with as mayor of Wasilla Alaska’

‘Wold you actually move into the White House’ asked Deven ‘or would you run the country from Wasilla?’

‘Actually’ said Palinpower ‘I plan to run the country from a bus but I’d probably stay at the White House when the Redskins are playing at home. Next thing I’d do is scrap Obama’s healthcare plan and declare everybody over seventy an endangered species’

‘That’s certainly novel’ said Deven

‘Then I’d send all the twelve million illegals back to Mexico with a personal escort’ said Palinpower ‘and that would create twelve million new jobs’

‘That’s all very impressive’ said Deven ‘but if the US defaults on debt repayments there’s nothing I can do I’m afraid. If I don’t automatically downgrade the US’s Triple A rating our business would get renamed ‘Substandard and Poverty Stricken’

‘If you ever do that Dev’ warned Palinpower ‘you’re personal rating will get downgraded to an asterisk when I become president’

‘If ever you become President’ said Deven ‘I’ll apply for a transfer to Standard and Poor’s in Greece. There’s never any problem with downgrading credit ratings over there because nobody’s got one’

With that Palinpower was gone in a flash leaving Deven to ponder whether people are giving her more credit than she deserves.