19: Warren Buffett
Amid the downturn, the sage of Omaha has been a steadying force.
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As the titans of American finance toppled over this fall, Warren Buffett stood tall as one of the few forces of order in the private sector. The 78-year-old Nebraskan injected $8 billion into two icons: investment bank Goldman Sachs and General Electric, which he dubbed "the symbol of American business to the world." Buffett (a member of The Washington Post Company's board) didn't do it for the health of the system; the investments carry hefty 10 percent rates. But as America works to pull itself out of recession, Buffett and the values he champions —buying assets on the cheap, discipline, a long-term view—will be at the forefront.
No. 18: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
COVER STORY: THE GLOBAL ELITE
The study of power is not only diverting (which Homer and Shakespeare knew), but illuminating. A biography of an ancient human impulse.
© 2009
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