Julian,
> I am pretty 
> confident that 
> as we go forward and browsers begin to properly parse HTML (and soon, 
> hopefully, XHMTL) and properly interpret the full range of 
> CSS that such 
> hacks will be unnecessary and we will finally be able to consider CSS 
> sufficient.

What?  Properly parse HTML?  Why would you want to do that? 

Anyway...I've occassionaly thought this about the designer problem:
Just give them some fully rendered examples of the pages in your
app...let them go nuts re-designing it, then have the developers fold
the changes back into the system.  That way you can use whatever web
application framework that makes sense and maintain control over how it
all hangs together with the application.

- Stephen