[Scanian]

No, I haven’t heard of any academic studies at all, either about Bush’s reasons for promoting TARP or about G.S.’s intrusion into the federal government, just blogger speculation of the type that I and thousands of other FReepers love to engage in.

As far as G.S. is concerned, given the state of American journalism these days, probably the only investigating of its role in present-day government will be done by resourceful and patriotic investigators in the blogosphere.

Bush’s actions, on the other hand, will surely be sliced, diced, and microscopically scrutinized by left-leaning academics and journalists until hell freezes over.

[nathanbedford]

It may be that the real extent of the threat will not be known for years and perhaps is actually unknowable. While I have a great deal of ambivalence about the wisdom of the first bailout, I feel I am a much more solid ground in declaring that the subsequent bailouts were probably unnecessary and unwise. Certainly the porkulus package is a disgrace and the money should be returned. Even if the subsequent bailouts were necessary, they were corruptly done and I believe unconstitutionally and certainly undemocratically done.