If you tuned into Time Warner Corporations news channel CNN last night for a calm and informative reaction to Congress’ bailout refute, you were treated to something laughably different. Many people have invoked the story of Chicken Little when discussing the financial “crisis” on Wall Street, CNN spent the day re-enacting the fable.

Dramatically announcing DOW point losses the anchors spoke of an impending doom unlike any known before. Between boisterous fits of rage against the Washington machine, they would warn that this point-loss did not represent the worst every percentage loss in a day; then they would turn back to the point loss and ruminate on how much misery it was causing.

Washington could have used a better pitchman than they had, that is for sure. If they try this again I would have to nominate the networks own Ali Velshi. Last evening he threw caution, objectivity and informative thought to the wind and sold the $700 Billion plan with the kind of fear mongering it needed. Repeatedly scolding the Congress he repeatedly declared that while the bill wasn’t going to solve most of the problems and was probably not a wonderful solution, our Representatives were somehow punishing their constituents, people who just didn’t understand, by not supporting this bill. He predicted a near end to Western democracy if a bill was not passed in days and he wasn’t going to listen when pesky facts were introduced.

Velshi couldn’t stop talking about the tightening credit markets. He saw consumers and business inability to get quick and easy credit as the great tragedy of our times. Ignoring the fact that such credit was probably what helped put America in this mess, he also ignored the fact that the credit markets were probably holding out their ware in hopes of a $700 Billion blank check from the government. When this fact was brought up, he easily admitted that this was probably the case, that there was credit available but of course the institutions were waiting out for a free lunch. “That doesn’t matter” was the theme, we needed this credit now and we had to worry about logistics, facts and fundamentals later.

Ali Velshi provided commentary that would make any CEO proud and best of all he was one of the only voices on CNN explaining what was going on. Providing pure visceral reaction, he lead all CNN commentators and contributors in their thinking, shooting down anyone who would question the legitimacy of the bailout, who dared suggest the world might not end without its passing.

George Bush and Nancy Pelosi note, you have your pitchman!