Underestimated?
I have a lot of trouble seeing the sense in saying the government underestimated the magnitude of the crisis when passing the stimulus. I remember a lot of hellfire and brimstone in the rhetoric around the bill. And the recent market rally says investors (many of whom opposed the bailout) have been surprised at the economy’s medium-term prospects. Of course, this could be on its way toward reversing itself.
I increasingly feel like every corner of our government spends more time trying to cover its butt than actually doing anything. And, sorry to say, when Reuters starts quoting your “uh”s one has to wonder if your oratorical and diplomatic skill is limited to script reading.