Good-time Charlie, who is best known for making a body-building video as his city neared bankruptcy, and for failing to make his mortgage payments and losing his homes, has been as wise as ever. Last week, running his mouth on the radio, he said the city wouldn't be in such hot water if Bing had listened to Crittendon before signing the consent agreement. Pugh also hinted that he is thinking about running for mayor, maybe because you don't have to pay rent on the Manoogian Mansion. Well, in a crack-brained way, Charlie is right about Bing listening to Krystal's oddly blue persuasion.

She claims, by the way, that the city can't enter into the consent agreement because the state owes it money, meaning mostly the $224 million in revenue sharing funds Detroit lost when the budget crisis hit the state and the Legislature screwed all Michigan cities.

Yes, denying Detroit that money was unfair and unfortunate, but the fact remains that even if the state paid the city in full, Detroit would be right back where it is now in less than a year.

If the mayor had turned down the consent agreement, neither he nor Pugh nor Crittendon would have any power now, because some emergency manager would be running the show. Nor, in all probability, would they be getting all their salaries and perks.

But as for running for mayor — true, history does occasionally repeat its tragedies as farces. However, Detroit does have a long and glorious history, with many heroes and noble persons white and black; French and English; young and old, rich and poor.

Yes, there have been villains too. But if our city has to commit suicide, surely there's a nobler way to do so than by throwing itself into the paws of Charlie "look at my six-pack abs" Pugh. 

More to come: Sadly, comrades, we are out of space. But not out of utter, raving madness. Come back soon to find out whether Detroit voters help Hansen Clarke lose to a white guy from Bloomfield Hills because they fear Hansen really isn't black enough!

> Email Jack Lessenberry