I might add that Bush made two major changes:
1. He changed the banking regulations/laws so that banks could legally serve Mexican illegal aliens who had neither a Social Security number or valid US identification.
A provision hidden inside the PATRIOT Act allowed banks and lending institutions to accept the Mexican Matricula Consular card as valid ID and they could use the IRS ITIN in lieu of a SSN.
2. Banks who served the 'low income market' (guess who they're talking about?) would receive credit under the CRA.
Once these changes were made, banks put their reps in all the Mexican Consulates to explain to Mexican illegal aliens how they could take advantage of the US banks' goods and services (checking/savings accounts, credit cards, auto, home and business loans, etc.) while they waited in line for their Matricula Consular card.
The others before him were bad, but Bush is the one who really broke the back of the US economy.
It is sad to have to rehash all this again. Why this was posted now is beyond me. It wasnt all Bush's fault but he certainly wasnt the hero that a few delusional freepers claim. He was a progressive and a big part of the problem.
Much of these actions created a phony housing bubble that appeared to be economic growth in overdrive. The stock market, tax revenues, home values, all seemed too good to be true and it was. The credit contraction took almost two years to wipe out the expansion that lasted about three or so, leaving a Sea of debt and lots of angry voters. The re-writers wanted to take Bush credit for the bubble expansion, and then pass blame for the crash which was a part of it. It never sold, never could.
See comment #21 also.