It’s been 16 months since President George W. Bush left office, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made it clear that she will continue to blame the former president’s policies for the country’s financial and economic problems.

In an interview that aired Friday on MSNBC, Chuck Todd asked the highest-ranking Democrat in the House if there was a statue of limitations on placing responsibility on President Bush.

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“At what point do you think the public says, ‘You know what, yes, we were unhappy with the Bush administration … [but] stop blaming the Bush administration.’ When does that run out?” asked MSNBC’s Chuck Todd.

“Well, it runs out when the problems go away,” Pelosi replied. “Here’s what the president inherited. He inherited a deficit, when this president [Bush] inherited from the Clinton administration four budgets that were either in surplus or in balance. And he turned it into a massive deficit. He Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ brought us to the brink of a financial crisis. He brought us to the brink of deep recession, ignoring issues that relate to climate change.”

“It’s clear that while some Democrats aren’t sure whether ‘blame Bush’ is still a viable campaign tactic, the speaker believes it is,” MSNBC’s First Read blog declared.

Pelosi sounded an optimistic note about the Democrats’ chances of holding on to the House of Representatives in this year’s mid-term elections.

“Take it to the bank,” Pelosi said.

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She added: Ã¢â‚¬Å“IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m very pleased with how the primaries have been going in terms of the votes that my members have received. Looking at the other side and who the challengers are, I feel pretty good about it.Ã¢â‚¬Â

This video is from MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown, broadcast June 11, 2010.



