Financially, Everything Is Cool (?)

Don't worry about the economy, guys! The Dow bit back today and closed up almost 300 points.

And if that isn't enough for you, Condoleezza Rice is making the rounds at the Davos World Economic Forum saying that the stimulus package will fix everything. But nothing is wrong in the first place, so don't sweat it.

Seriously, though, things don't look good, and it shouldn't be a surprise. I was interested to see this story, about economists' projections that a seemingly never-ending war in Iraq could trigger a recession. I''m not enough of an economist to offer a slick analysis of what's going on, other than to notice that conditions are gloomy. These troubles are why the economy has become the chief issue in the election.