It’s a debate that could rage for years: were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac catalysts for the housing meltdown and financial crisis, or victims of a boom-bust cycle they couldn’t have foreseen?
The prevailing views on the topic could help decide whether Fannie and Freddie — placed into government conservatorship in September — will be rehabilitated or allowed to go the way of the dinosaur.
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is among those who see Fannie and Freddie as catalysts — "the match that started this forest fire."
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