Krugman v. critics: PM edition

Paul Krugman wasted no time responding to the claims by Megan McArdle and others that he was the spiritual father of the housing bubble.

No, Paul. We don't think you were on the grassy knoll. Maybe Arlen Specter might. He was the investigator for the Warren Commission. We'll check if you want..

Problem is, Paul, the charge here isn't about pulling the trigger. It's about inciting the riot. And Clusterstock pulled up abundant evidence the McArdle quote was not out of context and entirely consistent with your agenda in 2001 and 2002.   

Paul, we understand. We've all called things wrong. Jeez, even people here think I'm wrong for writing at Dow 7000 the market had yet to reach bottom.  And it didn't until 6500. But people still say I got it wrong. Oh, well.  Maybe a little humility might be a good thing here, too.  Guess they forget my calling the 2008 mortgage hurricane. Oh well.

Now Paul, it you want to hang Alan Greenspan for botching the execution of the proposed strategy, I'm all ears.  How the "Maestro" didn't realize low short term bond rates=low ARM mortgage rates=excess housing appreciation---well, maybe that's what happens when you stop looking at the war in the trenches. 

If you do that, I'll back off thehack  charge for awhile.

The bigger problem , Paul, is once again you are out urging that the economy be pumped up when the track record in 1999-99 and 2005-07 is the Fed and the Congress are completely unable to turn off the spigot before things overheat.  Why will this time be any different unless you think liberal Democrats are immune to the avoidance of short-term political pain?   

I'm actually glad Krugman is an economist. Had he been an engineer, he would still be telling operators of nuclear plants to pull out the control rods to gain added power even after what happened at Chernobyl.