Who in his wildest dreams ever thought we would see a headline reading, China Urges U.S. to Protect Creditors"?

For those of us who grew up in an America that was the undisputed leader of the free world, an America that waged war against the communist East, an America that was the largest manufacturer and largest creditor in the worlds economy -- to those of us boomers who played a part in that particular piece of American history, these are indeed sad times.