Bad words

"The good news is that we are moving forward with a sense of urgency equal to the challenge."

These 17 words from President Obama today were the measure of "good news" in a sea of very bad news. Obama spoke these words in his weekly video address. After opening by saying- "This morning I'd like to talk about some good news and some bad news as we confront our economic crisis."- Obama delivered the bad news, 148 words of it.

"The bad news is well known to Americans across our country as we continue to struggle through unprecedented economic turmoil. Yesterday we learned that our economy shrank by nearly 4 percent from October through December. That decline was the largest in over a quarter century, and it underscores the seriousness of the economic crisis that my administration found when we took office.

Already the slowdown has cost us tens of thousands of jobs in January alone. And the picture is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Make no mistake, these are not just numbers. Behind every statistic there's a story. Many Americans have seen their lives turned upside down. Families have been forced to make painful choices. Parents are struggling to pay the bills. Patients can't afford care. Students can't keep pace with tuition. And workers don't know whether their retirement will be dignified and secure."

Maybe this is a measure of times.