E*Trade, the next victim of the credit crunch?

Even before the credit crunch hit home, people wondered if E*Trade was ripe for a mega deal. Now it seems more ripe than ever for a deal. Only this time it would be seen as the bail-out target. For a company that was once so revolutionary--it was born of the online trading revolution--it now seems destined for the dust bin. Its turnaround plan, according to the AP, calls for cutting costs by $360 million in 2008 and more spending on advertising and technology. But no one would be surprised if its well-intentioned plans were swamped by more mortgage problems. End of an era, in many ways.  

For more:
- here's an AP article