Case in point, Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis, who is now saying that Merrill-Lynch and Countrywide Financial are, or will be “stars” this year:

Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lewis said Merrill Lynch & Co. and Countrywide Financial Corp., the two acquisitions that some analysts say helped push down the bank’s share price, have been “stars” so far this year.

Lewis, speaking today in a Bloomberg Television interview from his Charlotte, North Carolina, headquarters, said Merrill will be “a thing of beauty” over the long term. Merrill, the New York-based securities firm, lost $15.8 billion in the fourth quarter.

Ummm….This guy is ready for the rubber room….Seriously.