Fannie, Freddie Shares Plunge as Unease Rises Talk of Federal Bailout Sparks Sell-Off

By David S. Hilzenrath and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, July 11, 2008; A01

Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two pillars of the nation's housing market, continued to plummet yesterday as investors and federal officials contemplated the possibility that the giants of the mortgage business could require a federal bailout.

On Capitol Hill, the Treasury secretary offered reassurance that they are still on firm footing, and the Senate moved on a housing relief bill that would give a regulator more power over them. . . . Yesterday's sell-off came against the backdrop of jarring news reports. Bloomberg News quoted William Poole, former president of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, saying that the two companies were already insolvent.

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_______________________________________________________________ And so we revisit the modern-day Herbert Hoover, with the stark exception that this is Bush's second term and he is therefore saved from having to run for re-election. Everything in these bizarre maneuverings at the Fed, the SEC and Treasury are directed toward the goal of getting GB back to the ranch before America's financial collapse catches up with and runs down his presidency.