from The Fallacy Files

We've seen examples from previous political debates of politicians taking credit for anything good that happens while they are in office (see the Resources, below), even if there is little or no reason to think that they are responsible for it. The flip side of this is that they blame their opponents for anything bad that happens while the opponents are in office, even though there may be no reason to think that its their fault. These are both version of the cum hoc causal fallacy of assuming, without further evidence, that because two things happen at the same time one must have caused the other. Case in point:

Obama: I think everybody knows now we are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. And a lot of you I think are worried about your jobs, your pensions, your retirement accounts, your ability to send your child or your grandchild to college. And I believe this is a final verdict on the failed economic policies of the last eight years, strongly promoted by President Bush and supported by Sen. McCain, that essentially said that we should strip away regulations, consumer protections, let the market run wild, and prosperity would rain down on all of us.

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