Sep
17th
Wed
17th
Putting aside whether Paulson knows what he’s doing — I think he’s acquitted himself well thus far — one of the odd facts about this crisis is that the elected branches of government have been completely cut out of the response. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have not, as far as anyone can tell, been steering the ship. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bush was briefed on the rescue after it was in play. And even then, he was only “briefed.” There’s been no effort on the part of the White House to even advance the idea that Bush is an engaged participant who’s actively signing off on these actions, possibly because suggesting his involvement in a crisis of this complexity would cause the stock market to run and hide in a corner.
— Ezra Klein
