The American Spectator

br> Re: The Prowler’s Fannie, Freddie, and Obama : /p>

With cheer leading for what amounted to laissez-faire capitalism, an abhorrence of any government regulation and plenty of liquidity provided by the Fed under the leadership of Al Greenspan, realtors, mortgage brokers and bankers, along with irresponsible home buyers and speculators, set the stage for what is arguably the most serious economic crisis we have faced as a nation since the Great Depression. As Bernanke and Paulson try to save our economy by bailing out Fannie and Freddie and put it on a sounder footing for the future by looking at increased governmental regulation, The Prowler worries about who, Obama or McCain, was first briefed by Paulson. Why? Because Paulson and his wife, who have “strong ties to the Democrat party, would not be an honest broker with Republicans.”

p>As we argue over who is most responsible for this mess, borrowers or lenders, it might be helpful to remember a couple of things. I don’t recall the current administration or any of the mortgage brokers or bankers, Republicans and Democrats alike, fervently urging Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson, former CEOs at Fannie Mae, to closely examine each loan application and to exercise the utmost prudence before making a loan. Also, did I misinterpret TV commentator Larry Kudlow when he was talking about “the greatest story never told”? I thought I heard him urge Bernanke to lower interest rates in order to keep the party going. Was he really crying in the wilderness about how we were, as a nation, on the road to economic perdition? Nevertheless, isn’t it time to stop playing the blame game and insist that our political leaders from both parties work together to solve this problem? All of us, Republicans, Democrats. Libertarians, Independents et al. have a little bit at stake here, folks. br> — Mike Roush /p> p> MCCAIN, CHESSMASTER br> Re: Jeremy Lott’s Cold, Calculating McCain : /p>