I don't think this will be news simply because the Republicans don't want it to be news because it brings attention back to John McCain's serial adultery.

CNN is running non stop crap about Edwards, et al.

They even read Elizabeth's post with the plea to please leave them alone and then proceed on to the next scum sucking detail.

Okay, he had an affair. Shame on him. tsk tsk -

If only CNN and other media expressed even a modicum of like moral outrage over things such as listed on referenced link.

What they are doing is more shameful than Edward's adultery and lies!

The inmates are truly running the media asylum!

Gag.

David Gregory is a smirking hack. And a freakishly tall giant, into the bargain.

Bulldog has made some fair points here, particularly about Vitter and Craig, as well as the members of the public who chose to buy gas guzzling SUVs rather than smaller cars. I'd like to encourage democrats here to understand that the issues the Dog has pointed out are not black and white - it is also fair to address consumer behavior.

It is fair to point out that the "health care crisis" is less a crisis and more the result of 70+ million aging baby boomers and WWII generation aged people; and older people require more care toward the end of their lives. This is a shift in demand for health care, which would cause stress in any system. That is the basic economics of it. I would remind the Dog, however, that efforts to obtain greater coverage prior to this spike (which was well foreseen) in demand were effectively demonized and blocked by the pharmaceutical and insurance companies in the 90's, with the assistance of congress, controlled by the Republicans.

The current economic problems are a result of a confluence of events, and not all of them were dominoes set up by the Bush administration.

Did people buy houses thinking prices could only go up? Yes, they did - and not only that, many kept the homes they owned as rentals, and leveraged themselves to the hilt to get their next home. Profits in turning homes were available and Banks were declining fewer and fewer mortgage loans.

Fed members are appointed by the President and confirmed by congress - including the most recent chairman, Bernanke. Therefore the president does have some culpability in nominating members who have continued to use inflationary monetary policy as economic stimulus. As the Dog points out, that a low dollar is not necessarily bad - just unsustainable, as inflation is bad

Bank failures are typically due to liquidity; so are the problems at FNMA, and at Bear Stearns, etc. The regulators never required these institutions to increase their reserves in proportion to risks. And banks don't want to - holding cash significantly reduces profits. You can blame both the administration and congress as neither governing body lobbied the Fed or other regulators nor passed any legislation to increase reserves.

The Bush administration (as well as other state governments) has reduced the frequency of examinations and reduced the number of regulators. Lenders like this - their compliance costs have dropped. But there is no one holding the reins as they made increasingly risky underwriting decisions - why not? You can package them and sell them to someone else, through Bear Stearns or another investment bank!

What the Bush administration is indictable for, however, is a failure to do the job of the executive branch. They did not faithfully execute the laws of this country; they did so selectively, to benefit key constituents.

Individuals will suffer for their own choices; banks will fail. But it is our responsibility as voters to elect an executive who will carry out the responsibilities of government and mitigate these areas of concern, for the benefit of as many as possible.