The mechanic calls back over his shoulder, "What's our best time to date for a cut-and-run?"

It would be foolish for a manager to make a three-year loan when his own investors could cut and run within a year; the mismatch of assets and liabilities could be ruinous.

Thanks in part to Mr Bush's lonely refusal in 2007 to heed the calls to cut and run, the sectarian bloodletting that followed the invasion has abated.