Short and Sweet

It looks like the powers that be got the message Fed chairman Ben Bernanke was trying to send them this week: if you're going to goose the economy, keep it short and do it soon. Bernanke said it's likely a stimulus package would increase the deficit in the short run but warned strongly against anything that would make the long-term problems worse. Both President Bush and Congressional leaders seem to be buying into a purely short-term effort to stave off a recession, which means that an extension of the Bush tax cuts is off the table for now.