The past year has brought devastation to most on Wall Street, but for ex-powerhouse Dick Grasso, there has to be a bitter pleasure in watching so many adversaries knocked from their perches.

At lunch Tuesday, former New York Stock Exchange CEO Richard Grasso toasted his appeals court victory with a bottle of Peter Michael chardonnay.

Playing out the final scene of an almost Shakespearean drama, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace today after revelations that he had been caught on wiretaps arranging to meet a high-priced call girl in a Washington hotel.

The appointment of John Thain to head troubled Merrill Lynch proves, yet again, the long reach of Goldman Sachs.

Thain, currently CEO of the New York Stock Exchange, began his career as an investment banker at Goldman. He went on to become co-president and co-chief operating officer.

As the New York Times reports, Thain was chosen not only for his success at the exchange, but also for his background at Goldman.