The threat of impending financial disaster concentrates political minds wonderfully.On Thursday a group of Congressional leaders heard Hank Paulson, the Treasury secretary, and Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, paint a dire economic scenario if they did not approve a more sweeping remedy for the financial crisis.Student and car loans, not just mortgages, would all be harder to get.The economy would sink into a severe recession.

　　迫在眉睫的金融灾难引起了相当多的政治关注。上周四，一群国会领袖听了财长保尔森和美联储主席伯南克所描述的，当国会不通过这项全面拯救金融危机的方案，经济上将会出现的可怕场面。那时，不仅仅是抵押贷款，甚至连助学贷款和买车贷款可能都很难获得。经济将陷入严重的衰退。