Much has been made of the stellar academic credentials of the current Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. At its helm is Ben Bernanke, widely regarded as one of the most authoritative voices in monetary economics. At his side is Frederic Mishkin, an equally acclaimed scholar with a penchant for explaining complex theoretical insights in layman's terms - a skill that has proved particularly handy in public policy. Between them, Bernanke and Mishkin have quietly gone about the business of