[Pelham]

” Bush did attempt to introduce reforms that were summarily shot down by the Dems.”

The only reforms I’m aware of were the ones to investigate the way that Fanny and Freddy were issuing bonuses to their executives. Fanny was cooking its books in order to boost bonuses. The Democrats shot down the investigation because Fanny’s corporate officers were Democratic Party hacks.

If you know of other reforms that Dubya was attempting I’d be curious to learn what they are, I’m simply unaware of them.

[Eagle of Liberty]

The only reforms I’m aware of were the ones to investigate the way that Fanny and Freddy were issuing bonuses to their executives.

Is this the same thing as you mentioned? I think it is different:

New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

The Bush administration today recommended the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago.

Under the plan, disclosed at a Congressional hearing today, a new agency would be created within the Treasury Department to assume supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored companies that are the two largest players in the mortgage lending industry.

The new agency would have the authority, which now rests with Congress, to set one of the two capital-reserve requirements for the companies. It would exercise authority over any new lines of business. And it would determine whether the two are adequately managing the risks of their ballooning portfolios.

The plan is an acknowledgment by the administration that oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- which together have issued more than $1.5 trillion in outstanding debt -- is broken. A report by outside investigators in July concluded that Freddie Mac manipulated its accounting to mislead investors, and critics have said Fannie Mae does not adequately hedge against rising interest rates.

read more at the link

Barney Frank's response:

”These two entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — are not facing any kind of financial crisis,” said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ”The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.”