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The Enablers

Rahm Emanuel is catching heat for his payday at Freddie Mac, one of the originators of the meltdown. It's a reminder that the pols condemning the bonus payouts were themselves handsomely rewarded while failing to blow the whistle on the money men.

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Susan Walsh/AP Photo
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"This is one of the great success stories of all time. And we don't want to lose sight of that and [what] has been pointed out by all of our witnesses here." Feb. 2004

Susan Walsh/AP Photo
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"I think a lot of people are being opportunistic…throwing out the baby with the bathwater. " June 2006

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Evan Vucci/AP Photo
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"What is the wrong that we're trying to right here? What is the potential harm that we're trying to avert? " Feb. 2004

Caleb Jones/AP Photo
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"I want to roll the dice a little bit more in this situation towards subsidized housing…." "I think we see entities that are fundamentally sound financially and withstand some of the disaster scenarios." Sept. 2003

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Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
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Scott J. Ferrell/Getty Images
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"I'll lay my marker down right now, Mr. Chairman. I think Fannie and Freddie need some changes but I don't think they need dramatic restructuring in terms of their mission, in terms of their role in the secondary mortgage market." April 2005

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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"Secretary Martinez, if it ain't broke, why do you want to fix it?" "Mr. Chairman, we do not have a crisis at Freddie Mac and in particular at Fannie Mae under the outstanding leadership of Mr. Frank Raines." Sept. 2003

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"I'm just pissed off at Ofheo because if it wasn't for you [the regulators at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight] I don't think that we would be here in the first place." Sept. 2003

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James A. Finley/AP Photo