Any port in a storm, I suppose, but isn't claiming that the deaths of Saddam's sons is going to help the US economy a good example of how much the Bush administration has been reduced to grasping at straws?

THE death of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's two sons helps the US economy by removing some uncertainty, US Treasury Secretary John Snow said today.

Personally, I'm more curious what the effect of having lots of National Guard troops away from their jobs for an extended period is having on the economy. Many of them are earning less than they would be at their regular jobs; on the other hand, are they keeping the unemployment rate artifically low?