Dubya also chose to make Fannie and Freddie the responsibility of the American taxpayer.
They were both listed corporations on the stock exchange despite their government origins, and there was no legal requirement for taxpayers to backstop their investors.
They could have been allowed to enter bankruptcy. Instead their investors were spared personal loss by sticking taxpayers with the bill.
I voted for Dubya twice. Actually got to shake his hand when he visited Portland, Oregon during the first term.
But now I realize, he was not very smart. The Goldman Sachs crowd pulled wool over his eyes and Dubya OK’ed the TARP bailout.