Quote from richrf:
No I didn't vote for Bush. But at least the public knows now what are the consequence of having people in power who never read the paper. Remember what Palin's answer was when she was asked the question.? 
As for sub-prime: It has been known for thousands of years that you do not lend anyone any money who doesn't have skin in the game. They have nothing to lose, if they walk away, which is exactly what happened.
The only reason the mortgage and bank brokers loaned the money - acts which eventually brought our whole economy down since we now have hundreds of thousands of homes that no one wants - is because S&P, Moody's and Fitch, graciously awarded AAA status to these tranches of junk (the same rating the afford to GE), so that the junk can be pawned off on unsuspecting investors overseas. Is it no wonder that overseas investors liquidated all investments in the U.S. other than Treasuries?
If nothing else happened under Bush, what certainly did happen was total loss of credibility for all our institutions all around the world. As a debtor nation, depending upon the good will of overseas investors, it was a darn stupid thing to do.
You think well! They also got us in a war that we will pay for for a long time, not just in money and lives, but also in prestige.
People should have read FDR 's understanding of Arabs and Oil, in addition to the writings of John Adams about Arabs. John Adams understood the Arab peoples better than the best think tanks of today! I read his margin writing/comments on books he read, and they are fascinating read.
the arab dictators love the iraq war, israel drooles over it, the fanatics love it. The only people who do not like it are the american people and the arab people.
It made arab peoples respect us less, when the arab peoples love the USA! Arab peoples like quick profits (just like americans), and like freedom (they come from deserts). American and arab peoples have something in common in terms of what they like, yet a minority did not know how to have them as their friends.
Alwaleed and company do not invest in USA because of numbers only, they invest because they love america. They want to be like america.
Watch for China and Russia. I am sure they look down at US's military might.
But they are damn mistaken. If they think they are better than America's soldiers, they will be kicked hard in a future conflict.
Russia/China (China in particular) may not understand that it is the Arabs who are uncontrollable and too proud/brave, and not America which is weak.
America's best days are ahead!