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GW Bush and administration did try to rein in Fanny/Freddy but gave up because it was a jealously guarded Democrat protectorate. Barney Frank and Chris Dodd being the snarling guard dogs. It was an impenetrable Democrat swamp with just too much political and media downside to any draining it. Of course the Democrats used Fanny/Freddy to get po' people and minorities into their own houses even though they were unqualified. This was a big Democrat vote getter, eventually bailed out with your tax dollars

As far as GW and Wall Street, I saw him on the tube two days ago (Bill O'Reilly) and he still doesn't get that he and Chris Cox via their libertarian style zero regulation régime allowed Banksters/Wall Street to run wild and take home billions in compensation while decimating the US financial system. By run wild I mean making, selling, shorting (their own) mortgage backed securities they cooked while coked up late at night/////// Derivatives too which are still an unspoken overhang in the hundreds of trillions that will eventually be the reason gold really takes off acc James Sinclair. When all this paper drek collapses under its own weight only tangible goods are left as a store of value -- oil gold commodities maybe silver and copper

All in all Banksters/Wall Street are 70% responsible for the real estate disaster
Democrats like Barney Frank --- 10%
Senile ol libertarian hippie Alan Greenspan and his Federal Reserve --- 20%

GW Bush and administration did try to rein in Fanny/Freddy but gave up because it was a jealously guarded Democrat protectorate.

???

On July 17, 2002, Bush gave a speech where he said that by 2010 he wanted to see 5.5 million new "minority" homeowners and called on Fannie and Freddie to increase their commitments to the "minority" market by $440 billion dollars.

Doesn't sound like he's trying to rein in anything to me. In fact, it sounds like just the opposite.

In that same speech he called on Congress to fully fund the "American Dream Downpayment Fund" The Republican-controlled Congress responded with the American Dream Downpayment Act which appropriated (good term for it) $200 million (US taxpayer) dollars to be given as grants to "minorities" as a down payment on their home loans given as part of the New Alliance Task Force activity.

Bush's first act after his inauguration in 2001 was to meet with Vicente Fox to hammer out the details for the Partnership for Prosperity Agreement (with Mexico). In response to the P4P agreement, the New Alliance Task Force was created by Bush. The express purpose was to loosen the US banking and mortgage industry so the banks could sign up Mexican illegal aliens (millions of `em) for bank accounts, credit cards, auto loans, home loans, business loans.

In fact, the banks placed representatives into the Mexican consulates so they could explain the benefits of banking while they waited in line to get their Matricula Consular "ID" card.

Why would they do that? Because in 2001, Bush signed teh USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. Included was a provision that loosened the banking regulations so that banks could accept the Matricula Consular card as ID for opening bank accounts.

Not only did banks get the business, but thanks to Bush, they also got CRA credit for all the illegals they were signing up.

In 2004, the mortgage industry was pouring money into Bush's re-election fund. So, I fail to see why Bush would attempt to rein in those folks who A) helped him get elected in 2000 and B) were attempting to help him get re-elected in 2004.

So, exactly what did Bush do to 'rein in Freddie and Fannie' and when did he do it? I ask because the historical record shows the exact opposite.

Clearly, Bush was giving token lip-service to reining in Wall Street because the whole reason they supported him was that he was sending hundreds of billions of US taxpayer dollars their way.

All in all Banksters/Wall Street are 70% responsible for the real estate disaster
Democrats like Barney Frank --- 10%
Senile ol libertarian hippie Alan Greenspan and his Federal Reserve --- 20%

So, this adds up to everyone else is 100% responsible and Bush is 100% blameless.

What color is the Bush Kool-Aide today?

All in all Banksters/Wall Street are 70% responsible for the real estate disaster Democrats like Barney Frank --- 10% Senile ol libertarian hippie Alan Greenspan and his Federal Reserve --- 20%

I would never have expected that from you. It's clear Bush, by appointing two political minority cronies (Mel Martinez and Alphonso Jackson) as Sec's of HUD, under whose jurisdiction F&F fell, Bush fully knew where F and F would go. Bush should have known that both of those guys were simply going to run wild with the entities but did nothing about it.

I do agree about Cox and the banking system, though. BTW, since Cox reported directly to Bush how does your formula work?