My condolences - I too know the pain of IE debugging. But it seems you're making the same error that the linked article is. The relevant question is not "is it theoretically possible to do layouts in CSS?", it is "CSS-based layouts vs. table-based layouts: which is better for Just Getting Shit Done in the Real World?"
And in my experience, for reasonable client-acceptable cross-browser compatibility (ie IE6/IE7/FF/Safari), CSS based layouts often cause more headaches than they're worth.
No. In my experience a mix of CSS and table based layouts work out fine. There are cases when floats and clears are overkill. But so is a complete table based layout.
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I'm sorry to say your assertive "No" doesn't negate the fact that my experience is that CSS-based layouts are very often not cost-effective compared to table-based.
We had 15 people doing slicing all day, every day, 50-60+ hours a week. We weren't all morons. You better believe we figured out what works and what doesn't, and as I said, the switch to CSS-based layouts tripled the time it took to get a site to a client. If you want to believe that everyone in the shop just happened to simultaneously become mentally retarded at the exact time the switch was made, you're free to do so. Personally, I think Occam's razor suggests otherwise.
I respect your experience. And I dont want to drag this. If CSS hasnt worked out for you, and you are using tables, its fine. Nobody's saying that its wrong.
The point is, choose whats best for you. For me CSS has worked!
And in my experience, for reasonable client-acceptable cross-browser compatibility (ie IE6/IE7/FF/Safari), CSS based layouts often cause more headaches than they're worth.