title: Can !important rules be used in IE's CSS expressions?
body: <p>Firstly, <em>I know</em> that CSS expressions are defunct and wrong in so many ways, and also to avoid using <code>!important</code> where possible. This is for a <a href="http://code.google.com/p/cleanslatecss/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">special case stylesheet</a>.</p>
  
  <h2>In Short</h2>
  
  <p><strong>My question is... Is there any way for a CSS expression to set the <code>!important</code> flag?</strong></p>
  
  <p>E.g. this doesn't work:</p>
  
  <pre><code>a { color:expression('red !important'); }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p><em>[Edit: thanks to MarmaladeToday's comment below].</em> This also doesn't work:</p>
  
  <pre><code>a { color:expression('red') !important; }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Can this be done some other way?</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <h2>In Detail</h2>
  
  <p>What I'm actually trying to do is mimic the <code>inherit</code> value in IE6 &amp; 7. <em>This works</em>:</p>
  
  <pre><code>color:expression(
      this.parentNode.currentStyle ?
          this.parentNode.currentStyle.color: 'red'
      );
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>But I also want to set the <code>!important</code> flag, and <em>this doesn't work</em>:</p>
  
  <pre><code>color:expression(
    (
      this.parentNode.currentStyle ?
          this.parentNode.currentStyle.color: 'red'
    ) + ' !important');
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I'm aware that, in JavaScript, it isn't possible to set <code>!important</code> via an element's <code>style</code> object. E.g. <em>this won't work</em>:</p>
  
  <pre><code>element.style.color = 'red !important';
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>However, it <em>is</em> possible to set <code>!important</code> via the element's <code>style</code> <em>attribute</em>:</p>
  
  <pre><code>element.setAttribute('style', 'color:red !important;');
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So... are CSS expressions limited to interacting with the <code>style</code> object, and therefore, what I want to achieve is impossible - or is there any way for an expression to affect an element's attributes, or pass <code>!important</code> in some other way?</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <h2>Starting a Bounty</h2>
  
  <p>No solid answers so far, so I'm starting a bounty.</p>
  
  <p>Ideally, I'm looking for a CSS-based solution for mimicking <code>inherit !important</code> in IE6 and IE7, either with or without CSS expressions. (Please do verify that your suggestions work before posting).</p>
  
  <p>At least, a link to some authoritative reference telling me that this is impossible would mean I could lay this train of thought to rest - I've not seen anything mentioning the use of CSS expressions with the <code>!important</code> rule.</p>