KUDLOW: Bush shows Obama the way

You are joking aren't you. After eight of the most disasterous political leadership years in America's history, you are asking for someone to be led by bush. The only thing bush should do is butt out of any attempt to make any noise in a mess he has not only helped create but, in fact, led the way for.

Bush didn't always get it right with respect to capitalism and free enterprise, but he hit it on the head in this speech. Too little too late, perhaps. The illuminati on both sides are not going to change their views. Let's hope there are enough right-headed Republicans left in Congress to make their voices count. The world is already going the wrong way.

Earth to Larry.. Bush got us into the current recession. I'm sure Obama will read Bush's "marvelous" speech. But follow Bush's lead - not in this lifetime.

Earth to Forrest - Economic growth under Bush was quite robust, even given the 9/11 attacks, right up until this year. You can look it up. Don't blame Bush for the Democratic Congress and especially for the Fannie and Freddie Fiasco brought to us by too many Democrats running those government sponsored entities for too long. Democrats did not listen to Alan Greenspan, McCain or Bush when it came to regulating those purveyors of financial failure. Instead we got Barney Frank saying he was willing to "roll the dice on sub-prime loans" in the hearings on regulating those two at Bush's behest. And don't blame Bush for consumers finally giving in to the economic doom-and-gloom campaign strategy run by Democrats and their allies in the media. And don't blame Bush for sky-high oil prices, a Democrat goal for years. Bush didn't say his only issue with $4 a gallon gasoline was that the price rose a bit faster than he would have liked (Obama said that). Consumers and business are going to sit pat and wait for a bit. I for one am wondering if Obama had no problem with $4 a gallon gasoline, just high will he be willing to allow it to go before bucking his environmental allies and allowing common-sense drilling. He has already made moves to halt exploration in Utah. So much for being open to drilling as he said in the debate. Of course he said that while in Nashville in front of the voters. No telling what he said behind closed doors. But I can easily guess.

Apropos, You will understand what President Bush did for us when the next terrorist attack leaves you with a loaded nappy and that bovine countenance that all liberals project when the consequences of their ignorance are manifested.

You are wrong RDH. Pres. Bush created an illusion of sustainable economic growth through massive deficit spending and low interest rates. Both of which played a key part in the collapse of the credit markets. Fannie Mae and Fredie Mac are not the live all and end all of the credit crisis. It may be vicerally satisfying to blame it on the democrats but it's self deceptive. And yes I saw your comment about my lack of experience in trading stocks. I'll save you from having me waving all my securities licences at you and remind you that for every buy transaction there is a sell. The idea that the capital gains tax is limiting the number of buyers would require a substantial economic research paper to demonstrate it's truth. In the end I suspect it would yield the intuitive answer that the number of buyers who don't buy equities due to the capital gains costs are equal to the number of sellers who hold onto their equities longer to avoid incurring capital gains taxes and that the number is insignificant. When the tax rate on dividends was lowered I have no memory of any substantial increase in either dividends or more people buying dividend yielding equities. In any event in many years I have yet to meet anyone who has expressly communicated to me a reluctance to buy equities because of the eventually capital gains tax when they sell.

No, kc, it is you who are wrong, by only focussing on a tiny portion of the whole picture--not to mention the distortion of your focus. "It may be vicerally satisfying" for you to blame it all on President Bush, but that is self-deceptive. You know the modern psych term, projection? Shakespeare said it, using a different word 400 years ago: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."