All stories about "George Bush"

"Less politics and more focus," says sunshine Bush as he expresses confidence that the White House and Congress will eventually get some rescue on for homeowners in need. Meanwhile, Congress has yet to send their relief bill to the White House, pending resolution of said politics. The Senate's only just getting back from a week-long break, and they have yet to hammer out their own version of the bill, let alone a final version with the House. Did we hear something about more focus? [TIME]

The Justice Department's fraud-fighting ninjas, dubbed "Operation Malicious Mortgage," nabbed 60 perps Wednesday in a bid to charge those involved in home-lending schemes. Roughly 400 total have been charged so far, including real-estate developers, brokers, agents, and appraisers. Authorities are investigating 19 companies, including mortgage lenders and credit-rating companies. Looks like the DOJ's not playing games. Said the deputy attorney as he donned his SWAT gear, mortgage fraud is "an area that we are going to aggressively pursue." [WSJ]

Removal of Bush Street signs: 1) A poignant gesture of protest against the Bush presidency; or 2) A surefire way to invite car accidents and desperate Google Map usage as drivers, tourists, and iPhone junkies alike struggle to find their whereabouts; or 3) A shortsighted— not to mention damn well annoying— prank that most will hardly notice let alone associate with our current administration. You decide.

Is that the sound of squealing brakes we hear? Oh yes, yes it is: George W. Bush has announced that he will not back bipartisan legislation the Senate finally agreed upon; the measure is designed to help homeowners stay solvent by (in part) placing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae under closer government watch. Sez his brizzilliance: "Laws shouldn't bail out lenders" ... "Laws shouldn't help speculators. The government ought to be helping creditworthy people stay in their homes." [SF Gate]

Further deets to come, but the word is out that Republican and Democrat Senate committee leaders have reached an agreement on legislation aimed to help homeowners keep their homes by tightening regulation of government-backed lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. No word yet on whether or not Bush is on board with this proposed plan, though he did reject an earlier iteration. [NYT]

Friday's imaginary rendering of the proposed George W. Bush Sewage Treatment Plant stirred up quite a ruckus over the weekend; readers were alternately heartened and horrified by the ad-hoc citizen group Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco's plan to re-name the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant after our fine leader. Our favorite gem from the ensuing comment war, from an anonymous reader: "Not only don't I want to be reminded of G.W. EVER AGAIN, but I also think that a wastewater treatment plant is an an inappropriate choice : after all, it is something that cleans up your sh*t. What G.W. is doing is more like the opposite."

It totally passed in the House, as per predictions— 39 Republicans even broke ranks to sign the bill which, if passed, will tweak the Federal Housing Administration's policies in order to help 500,000 borrowers who are in various levels of deep shit. Says the White House: "House Democrats passed bills that they know will never become law ... Most Americans understand that we shouldn't create a taxpayer-funded bailout for lenders and speculators." We're standing by as Bush sharpens his veto quill. [Reuters]