t. boone pickens. partners, $89 million. >> you've made about $500 million losing on your attempted takeovers. >> you never like to lose, but if you lose and make money, well, it makes it a little easier. >> i remember the guy got up and said, i have a question. he said, you're making a lot of money out of this. and i said the shareholders are, too. he said yes, but you're a fast buck artist. fast buck artist? i said, who in the hell would want to be known as a slow buck artist. >> i see it as a free enterprise system working at its best. >> pickens was the first investor to realize how undervalued american companies were and what you could buy there. and it was his early tilt at all these famous deals that brought this new reality to the attention of other investors, who followed in his wake and sought to imitate what he did. >> i freely admit, i want to make a profit. >> it is not wrong to want a profit in capitalist america. it's fair. >> i van made a fortune buying into companies being taken over by