Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank Ben Bernanke

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Now that Obama has decided to keep him in his job, Bernanke has become a lightning rod in an intense national debate over the Fed and its role. "I understand why people are frustrated. I'm frustrated, too," Bernanke says. "I'm not one of those people who looks at this as some kind of video game. I come from Main Street, from a small town that's really depressed. This is all very real to me."

• Ben Bernanke - Person of the Year