J Baker writes:

I understand the need to provide stability to this market and to bail out the Chinese Central Bank, but why do the Republicans always spout that they are the Party of less government and then do the exact opposite. As a SMALL shareholder of Freddie I get clobbered, the Chinese get saved, and the Republicans get away with more BS about what they stand for...

We are strictly nonpartisan here, at Planet Money. In fact, we find that economic foolishness is truly bipartisan.

I do not see how you lay the blame for Fannie and Freddie on the Republicans alone. NPR's Peter Overby provided a handy list of the many folks from both parties who have helped Fannie and Freddie avoid the kind of scrutiny that would have prevented the current crisis. The company has close ties to Dems and Republicans, to Obama and McCain and both Bill and Hillary Clinton.