Since Bush was first elected I have argued that in fifty years he will historians will put him at the bottom of the list of presidents. There is not anything I can think of that he can do in his 2nd term that will outweigh the harm that he has done in the first term. History will tell. I'm still betting that I'm right.

Ouch! if Wall Street is turning its back on Bush's plan to Steal our Retirement Money, this scam may be on its last legs. If the Sunday talk/lie shows can't breath some life/lies into the scam, I'd look for the WH/Rove to start backpeddalling soon. One thing is guaranteed about George Bush, he won't accept a loss, he'll quit the fight before he'll lose. And blame someone else. Usually Clinton.

You're calliing Bill Gross the PIMCO bond investor a stock expert? In 2002, he said the DOW was going to 5000. That was close to the bottom of the bear market. LOL. Seems like you could make a ton doing the opposite of Gross' stock predictions.

He should just stick to bonds.

And Larry Kudlow is spot on all the time?

Two conditions would have to be met for the SS phase out to be accompliahed: 1. Congressional Republicans will have to believe that they can do this without risking the end of their congressional careers. 2. Wall Street will need to put their institutional prestege behind it.
So far, if looks like neither will happen.

You should just shut the fuck up, muckdog. You know as much about economics as my cat. I took grad school MBA Econ. Did you?

Bond traders loathe Bush. The lying idiot has borrowed so much money panic in the bond market is almost a trip-wire away. This assinine plan on Bush's will cripple our abliity to finance Bush's incredible debt, for of course we have to borrow to the moon to implement it.

The world will abandon American bonds and swith to Euros to buy oil. Bond traders hate the idea, as should any citizen with a lick of sense--or not having their nose shoved up the GOP anus of lying borrowing.

I'm sick you, you obnoxious clueless cretin. The day you're banned is going to be a very good one.

I'm sure the Iranian mullahs will be forever grateful.

Didn't the Iranian mullahs (or a spokesman for them) endorse Bush? I have a feeling that these mullahs are in league with both the USA and Israel (Iran-Contra, Chalabigate). Of course, for Israel it's a strategic alliance. The enemy of your enemy is your friend type of thing. I wouldn't blame Israel one bit for preferring the Iranian mullahs to the Wahabists.

The bond market has rallied incredibly during Bush's term. That's probably why folks even pay Bill Gross any attention. He just happens to be a bond trader during one of the best bond markets in history. Kind of like being a stock guru (like Mary Meeker) in 1999. Everything went up. Take a look at the returns on Gross' bond funds. But, he's been wrong about stocks for years. The stock market is up huge since his dire predictions a few years ago.

Lots of people out there saying that the national debt is going to create higher interest rates. Look at the 10-yr yield. THEY'VE BEEN WRONG.

Regarding Larry Kudlow, he's an extreme optimist. He says he bailed on stocks when we had an inverted yield curve sometime back in 2000; I sold all my stocks in January 2000. Turns out to have been the right move. I'm not sure when Kudlow got bullish on stocks, but I went back 100% in stocks in March 2003. As of mid-2004, I've shortened the duration of my bond holdings. I also bailed on all my REITs in early January. We'll have to wait and see how those moves play out.

I blog more about the markets and other random thoughts at The Learning Curve.

Paradox: how right. I agree that Bush legacy will even make Nixon look good. As for Reagan I do not remember the 80’s been so great? Inflation was high, interest reached the 20% plus points for fixed house mortgage The Ira-contras fiasco? One of bush brothers been at Reagan’s would be assassin brother’s house the day before the attacks? How quickly people forget! I think that is an America’s problem. They never remember.
Condiliar is in the news in England today about bush’s speech about Iran (The Guardian)!!!!!!!!!!!!!” "It is quite simply not on the agenda she said. "There are plenty of diplomatic means at our disposal to get the Iranians to finally live up to their international obligations."
I guess bush know that he will not be able to get away with the same lies then the one he used to invade Iraq! At the guardian site I could not stop laughing as you can see a little puppet with bush face, and those words: Many Us citizens think that the world backed the War in Iraq. Maybe it’s the paper they’re reading
Right on! We do not get real news but only bush rhetoric’s
I did search for other country for their response to bush speech. Found the Pravda response. Not very friendly, I might say. I guess the honeymoon is over. I also have found few articles about the banks, $ to the Euro.

If anything, Bush will go down in the history books as the (unwitting) father of Iraqi theocracy.

I think it would be more accurate to say he will go down as the midwife of Iraqi theocracy.

Bush's whole SS scam is predicated on defaulting on the trust fund (lockbox) bonds (full faith and credit, anyone?) which will signal to the entire world that our bonds are no longer our bond.
On the other pertinent topic: Condi says Iran is not on the table. Didn't administration spokespersons keep saying that we weren't *planning* to invade Iraq within weeks, if not days, of the actual invasion? (Don't look at all the US troops in Kuwait, look instead at the maybe-mushroom-cloud emanating from Baghdadd!)

Didn't I see somewhere that Mayor Bloomberg, R-NY, the financial information king, is also against privatization?
I did: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/04/nyregion/04bloomberg.html?ex=1265173200&en=c845925b44c8e086&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg distanced himself from President Bush yesterday on the president's proposal to divert some Social Security taxes into private investment accounts, describing the plan, which was the central theme of Mr. Bush's State of the Union address, as excessively risky.

"I've never thought that privatizing Social Security made a lot of sense," said Mr. Bloomberg, who, like Mr. Bush, is a Republican. "I think what you'd see is that people would invest - some people would invest - unwisely."

Brian, exACTly....if the gov't reneges on its debt to the taxpayers, why would foreign investers have any confidence their loans would ever get paid back?

"You're calliing Bill Gross the PIMCO bond investor a stock expert?"

Read it again. Yuval never mentioned the words stock expert. You can question Gross all you like but Wall Street listens when he talks.