But he argued that the 130-year-old company, which he said has weathered nine recessions as well as the Great Depression, would use the current economic downturn to remake itself, with a sharper focus on its infrastructure businesses.
[From UPDATE 4-GE reputation 'tarnished' concedes CEO Immelt - Forbes.com]
I wonder how many executives at Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers put forward the same argument?