Two Weeks In The Life Of A Capitalist Country

I'd actually like to try to recap a rather interesting couple weeks in politics:

• The economy nosedives.


• The president and one of his appointments request unregulated control over $700,000,000,000 to bail out the economy via a three page draft bill.


• The finger pointing begins, while the people and the government debate that horrible bill.


• McCain decides to suspend his campaign, stands up David Letterman and chats with Katie Couric, suggests canceling the Presidential Debate, talks surge instead of economy, races in a tizzy to Washington, and solicits bailout support from his Republican peers by phone.


• In the meantime, the House works over the weekend to introduce the 109-page Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 into HR 3997. It improves the bill from horrible to just plain bad.


• Republicans publicly and pre-emptively proclaim the bill will pass.


• The Speaker of the House makes what some consider to be a partisan speech, reminding the Representatives that Bush inherited a budget surplus and led the nation to a huge-ass deficit.


• The House votes against the bill.


• Lo and behold, human nature dictates that the finger pointing must resume. Meanwhile, Bill O'Reilly engages in verbal warfare with Barney Frank.


• The Senate debates, mutates, and corrupts HR 3997 into 451-page HR 1424 -- their version of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. It adds tax breaks for rum, auto racing tracks, etc. Click here and then scroll down for the full list that makes the just plain bad bill even worse.


• Obama and McCain vote Yes on the bill.


• McCain suggests Bush should veto the bill.


• Bush signs HR 1424 into law, which is basically a collection of bills -- some which were originally proposed in Congress back in March, 2007.


• Meanwhile..
  
  Obama seems to be monitoring from the sidelines and only chiming in when necessary,
  
  Palin exceeds expectations in the one and only Vice Presidential debate and the McCain-Palin campaign releases their control over the media's access to Palin,
  
  Bush and Congress approval ratings go way, way low,
  
  Obama gains points in the polls, and
  
  Coincidentally gas prices begin to drop while Western oil companies quietly increase their presence in Iraq, contributing to their economy.
  

Everybody get all that?


O'Reilly vs. Frank