"It's going to take awhile to restore confidence in the financial system. But one thing people can be certain of is that the bill I signed is a big step toward solving this problem," Bush said during a stop in San Antonio on Monday.

The big news that Mr. Bush was supposed to make was a speech about judicial nominees in Cincinnati. But on the first day of the new Supreme Court term, it didn't make a ripple.

The President made his comments about the economy after a meeting with owners of small businesses in the Alamo City.

"I told them one of the reasons why, you know, I was so strongly for this rescue package was inherent in the strategy of the rescue package is to free up credit, is to get money moving," said Mr. Bush, referring to the complicated world of credit.

While the stock markets are an easy focus, it's not as simple to understand what's happening in the credit markets.

The short answer - they are locked up. Not many banks are lending, not even to cities, or big established companies.

What it means is that with Congress gone for the elections, and the President marginalized a bit by his lame duck status, there are going to be a lot of regulators and federal bureaucrats who will be stepping into the power vacuum to rescue us.

One of those uber-regulators, FDIC chief Sheila Bair, said Monday that she will ask the FDIC board to increase the fees charged to banks to replenish the FDIC insurance fund.

Bair vowed that any payouts from that fund won't be paid for by the taxpayer.

Four weeks until the elections and Congress is focused on getting re-elected.

The President isn't as powerful as he used to be in terms of domestic political pull.

And so the regulators get to step up.

"It's going to take awhile."