Are we in a recession? The White House remains mum

Is the United States in a recession? No word yet from the White House.

With President Bush trying to instill confidence in the economy during his final months in office, the answer to that question permeates life around the president.

Of course, it is unknowable at this instant -- and won't be determined until quarterly economic figures are released. And those will be looking backward.

Still, there is a sense of deja vu: Sixteen years ago, as Bush's father was fighting for his political life, the sense of economic gloom doomed his presidency. Never mind that by the time he left office, the economy had begun to turn around.

The current President Bush is zigzagging: He is acknowledging the anxiety and real losses brought on by the economy under his stewardship as he presents a sympathetic front -- though not coming close to the persuasiveness of Bill Clinton's "I feel your pain" demeanor -- and he is also holding out hope for brighter days.

The latter was at the heart of Bush's message Monday that the economy would be just fine.

His next round: this afternoon at Guernsey Office Products Inc. in the Washington suburb of Chantilly, Va.

Bush spent part of the morning on the telephone, with some of the key U.S. economic partners abroad: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The president presented "the various measures that the United States is taking to bring stability to the markets, as well as the importance for all countries to work together to coordinate our actions on finding solutions to the problems that are facing all of us," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said.

Yes, but what about a recession? Is it here?

"You know, I don't think that we know," she said.

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Eric Draper / The White House