...the economy was "in the crapper" for 10 months prior to Bush taking office.
It would have remained "in the crapper" regardless of the outcome of the FL "hanging chads" debate.
Unless...of course...you think that the market would have magically regained its historic pace once the "Creator of the Internet" re-established that "laser like" focus on the economy...
The bursting of the market bubble (started in 3/2000) was the primary driver...and Greenspan cranking up rates to slow growth that wasn't there was a strong back seat driver...and the "water in the gas" was oil prices spiking at the same time.
The only people that said that the US wasn't going into a recession worked for Clinton ;-) Most of them predicted "surpluses"...and they did this by pegging economic growth at 5% per year...too bad the economy grew at .5% instead. And it did this while under the "laser like" focus of the Clinton administration.
The Pres is along for the ride. If its good, they get the credit...bad they get the blame...in neither case are they really in control.