Brilliant in Greece

Greek Prime Minister Papandreou has been brilliant. This is the serious game being played out in Greece:

The government "bows" to European demands and forces austerity on its people.

The government forces a haircut on its Greek debt owed to banks, easing the country's debt burden.

The government then withdraws from the euro, with a newly austere government that the people were forced to accept and a greatly reduced debt burden. The withdrawing from the euro? The plan all along. Everything else was just the best way to get there.

And now a newly introduced, devalued drachma will finalize the chess game.

Brilliant. Truly.

And now the government can hope it clings to power long enough to enjoy the spoils.