Bush: 'Wall Street got drunk'

In this season of campaign fundraisers, the White House is keeping reporters and cameras out of the private homes where President Bush is regularly raising $500,000 and more at a clip for Republican candidates and party organizations. That has been the practice for years.

Sure, space may be tight, even in some of the mansions the president visits.

But a video clip that surfaced today from a stop in Houston last week suggests that without reporters

present, the president is free to be just a looser--quite a bit looser.

It was there, at a party for Pete Olson, a Republican congressional candidate, that he said that leading up to the current economic turmoil, "there's no question about it--Wall Street got drunk." (And, recognizing the unique way he put his assessment of the nations economic troubles, he added that there was a reason he didn't want cameras recording him).

"Now it's got a hangover," the former party guy added, in an account offered by the Briefingroom.

He added: "The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments."

Then there was the crack about the housing market. It's doing OK in there in Houston, he said. And so too in Dallas--a personal observation, he said, coming from Laura Bush's own house-hunting excursion there.

The Briefingroom reported that the video was obtained by an ABC affiliate in Houston.

--James Gerstenzang

Comments

[joey]

He's right! It's absolutely true, and investors now have to sober up if we want to have a more stable economy in the long term.

[Joseph....The Real Estate Guy.]

I totally agree with that assessment!!!

[Rodney Lamprey, jr.]

Yes, Wall Street "got drunk" and Bush and the GOP supplied the booze. Remember when Bush was pushing hard to give your Social Security safety net to Wall Street? That was like trying to give cocaine to the alcoholic.

[BTL]

Finally George Bush speaks up on something he knows about, getting drunk and having a hangover. If only we could sleep off the last six mounths of his term.

[Shear Genis]

HAHA, This guy calling others drunk? HAHAHAHA!

[Brian]

Hey...what happened to the video ??????? Can you spell C O V E R U P ???