If coinbase integrated with Ripple, you could trade the coinbase IOUs you get by depositing there for anything...

Anyways, I'm currently working a bit on/with Ripple so I might be too biased to give useful comments here atm. I generally like the idea and system that IOUs are made more explicit to users (you trade for example USD.MtGox for BTC.MtGox, not USD for BTC on Gox!) and also more fungible/tradeable.

If you just want to move fiat from the US to e.g. HK, then Ripple might really be better suited for you than always using BTC as an intermediate currency. Also if you want to keep a balance in BTC and buy things that are priced in different currencies, Ripple might allow that in case you do trust a gateway (which is in the end exactly the kind of service coinbase offers - deposit coins to them and get them back later) that is reasonably well connected in the Ripple network.

Ripple to me is more of a transfer/payment network while BTC is more like the gold in a high-security bank vault.

What do you want to accomplish with this thread though? It will only stay here if it is relevant towards Bitcoin, otherwise it will be moved/locked. Only asking for "general thoughts" is a bit weak imho.