Debt downgrade gives a dose of truth.

The Wicked Witch is Dead.

AAa -  With the spell broken, honest political dialogue is more possible.

Added: From Claudia Rosett"Downgraded. Maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly the sound bite Americans need to hear, to concentrate voters’ minds on how to get that AAA rating back" 

Added:  From Tigerhawk:  "If S&P emerges from the fight stronger rather than weaker (as I suspect it will), Moody’s and Fitch will notice that defying the Geithner Obama administration is not very dangerous.”