I'm starting to think a gold standard is already agreed to
It is difficult to understand the Bernank having gone so out of his way to address why a gold standard (in his, or the Fed's, estimation) would not work.
The other alternative, if not already agreed to, then understood as existing de facto, albeit currently "suspended" for some time yet.
There has been speculation that not only are the Chinese accumulating gold big time (something like as much in the last reported month as in all of 2011) but that they may raid the ETFs like GLD by redemption of basket lots of shares in demand for physical, all after the Asian futures market is well established and their sovereign and citizen holdings have been pumped up.
It all sounds like the making of a perfect storm.