I know the Bureau of Economic Analysis is supposed to be both competent and non-partisan. So it must be merely coincidental that the two times a Democrat was in the White House and in theory responsible for the health of the economy, the preliminary estimates were both higher than actual GDP growth later turned out to be? It must be merely coincidental that the one time a Republican was in the White House and in theory responsible for the health of the economy, the preliminary estimate released just prior to the 2004 election was actually lower than actual GDP growth later turned out to be? It must be merely coincidental that Gore was the beneficiary of a 18% over-estimate in how well the economy was doing in 2000? And it must be merely coincidental that Kerry was the beneficiary of the Commerce Department under-reporting GDP growth by 8% just before the 2004 election?

A coincidence. All three times. Imagine that.

Read the whole thing.

I think its an interesting find, though I also think that by and large we tend to put entirely too much emphasis on an given President's ability to influence the economy. Clearly, there are some things a President can do with regard to the economy, but Congress has much more direct impact.