Watson Coleman: “about 6, 7 months ago, I rose on the floor of the Senate to talk about some good economic news. We have gone through…”

“about 6, 7 months ago, I rose on the floor of the Senate to talk about some good economic news. We have gone through very difficult economic times in this country--a recession that began before President Bush got elected. There was a devastating impact on the psychology of American consumers because of corporate fraud, corporate malfeasance, the actions we saw with Enron and WorldCom, and Tyco, for which some of those folks involved in that will ultimately be brought to justice. But it had a devastating impact on the confidence of American consumers and the economy. Then we had September 11, which had a devastating physical impact, devastating psychological impact, with great suffering across the board. And, again, beyond the hurt that so many families suffered and the Nation suffered, the economy suffered. The economy suffered, and the economy slowed down. Americas had not been attacked on its own shores, I believe, since the War of 1812. In spite of that, look at where we are today, 3 years later. There is good news. With all the challenges we face in this world, sometimes you have to stand up and talk about good news.”