It was mid-morning on March 25, and two of his aides were telling him that the tobacco deal he had painstakingly negotiated among impossibly contrarian parties was disintegrating yet again--this time over how much authority the Food and Drug Administration should have to regulate tobacco products.

CNN: McCain's Big Deal

Jack Welch boosted General Electric's market capitalisation by 4, 500% at a time when its old rival, Westinghouse, was disintegrating.

ECONOMIST: Schumpeter