1115.org

Earlier this week, I pointed out Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s rose colored economic outlook:

“All the signs I look at” show “the housing market is at or near the bottom,” Paulson said. The U.S. economy is “very healthy” and “robust,” he said

Well, GDP numbers came out today, and surprise, surprise:

The U.S. economy grew last quarter at the slowest pace in four years because of the housing slump and a bigger trade deficit, leaving consumer spending to keep the expansion alive.

The 1.3 percent annual growth rate was less than forecast and followed a 2.5 percent fourth-quarter pace, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. A measure of inflation watched by the Federal Reserve rose at a faster pace.

I know that Commerce, not Treasury, measures GDP, but what are the odds that Paulson didn’t have access to the data streams before today’s release?