[churchillbuff]

"The drop in retail sales are directly related to the 9/11 incident."

Maybe so, but people who are out of work 12 months from now are not going to be friendly to incumbents - - ie, if the economy hasn't turned around, the GOP could lose the House. If Bush isn't thinking very hard about how to avoid that prospect - - primarily with real, signficant tax cuts for investors and other job-creators - - then he's cruising for a bruising during the last two years of what could be a one-term presidency.

[churchillbuff]

You know, in a sense it's comparatively easy to stand up to Bin Laden - he being such a central-casting villain who deserves everything coming to him. But there's a sense in which it will take more spine for W to stand up to Daschle and the Dems who are fighting against efforts to revive the economy. W MUST SHOW GUTS AT HOME AS WELL AS ABROAD, OR THIS RECESSION WILL LINGER - AND EVENTUALLY HAVE HIS NAME ON IT.

[marajade]

"Maybe so, but people who are out of work 12 months from now are not going to be friendly to incumbents..."

There's employment out there if people are willing to work. We still have 20% vacancy rates where I'm employed and are still recruiting.