No Buffer From Buffett

From Alex Crippen at CNBC:

In a live interview on CNBC today, Warren Buffett said there has been little progress over the past few months in the "economic war" being fought by the country. "We haven't got the economy moving yet."
While the economy is a "shambles" and likely to stay that way for some time, he remains optimistic there will eventually be a recovery over a period of years.

BECKY: The last time we sat down to talk to you was on May 4, and at that
point you told us that you think we're in an economic war right now. How
much progress do you think we've made in that war?
BUFFETT: Well, it's been pretty flat. I get figures on 70-odd businesses, a lot of them daily. Everything that I see about the economy is that we've had no
bounce. The financial system was really where the crisis was last
September and October, and that's been surmounted and that's enormously
important. But in terms of the economy coming back, it takes a
while. There were a lot of excesses to be wrung out and that process is
still underway and it looks to me like it will be underway for quite a
while. In the (Berkshire Hathaway) annual report I said the economy would
be in a shambles this year and probably well beyond. I'm afraid that's
true.
Buffett also noted that he had a cataract operation on his left eye
about a month ago. He joked that he thought it might help him see "green
shoots" for the economy, but so far he hasn't seen any hopeful signs.

Taking a firm position in an ongoing debate in the financial markets, Buffett says he's not concerned about deflation, but thinks inflation will be a problem in coming years.
Despite his negative view on the economy, Buffett still believes the stock market is attractive "over the next 10 years" when compared to alternatives like Treasury bonds.