jim,

If you want to give the Prez credit for what the Nasdaq is doing, then let's look at it from a different point of view. You are viewing a time period of about 25% of the current admin being in office. Let's look at the whole time period. He took over at ~3,500. Friday it closed at 1,946. That means it is down around 44% to date, not a very good return.

Now it's easy to say that it had already fallen from 5k to 3,500 when he took over and therefor, it isn't his fault. I would agree completely as I really don't credit much of anything that goes on in the markets to what happens in the Whitehouse. They can have short term affects, but it is very hard to change the trend without drastically changing the overnight lending rate.

But to give Bush credit for a small run during '03 is ridiculous. Between smart money, mutual funds, and bargain hunters it had to eventually move up some. Why hasn't it sustained the rally over the last 7 months? Simply because our 'recovery' isn't nearly as strong as they want us to believe. Some say the War is why. Huh? War means massive spending by the gov't which means products being purchased, and jobs to fill vacated by all of the reservists that have been called up. Yet we are stalled.

I'd love to hear why you think that is.

Also, SH, I agree completely with you about the ticking time bomb being built right now in the form of debt. The changing world theater is going to make being the world's police force a lot harder without bankrupting our gov't, or seriously diminishing most all other programs the gov't provides currently.

Gore, Kerry, they are no brain surgeons either. Neither one has shown anything they would do that would make wholesale changes in what is happening now nor into the future. Everyone better be building those 401k's and IRA's........