Jan. 31, 2006 - In his first day at home since stepping down from his post as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan made a series of cryptic, inscrutable pronouncements that left his wife, NBC's Andrea Mitchell, totally baffled.
The former Fed chief was renowned for his confusing, often incomprehensible statements about the financial markets and the economy while testifying to Congress, but according to Mitchell, those remarks were "a piece of cake" to understand compared to the mixed messages he has been sending at home.
The trouble began at the breakfast table, Mitchell said, when she asked the former Fed chief what he wanted to eat, a question which led to a serpentine 45-minute response. "To order ham and eggs at this time is tempting, but may not be warranted given my desire to keep my cholesterol below a reasonable ceiling," Greenspan reportedly said.
Later in the day, Greenspan reviewed several of the family's credit card statements and warned Mitchell against "irrational exuberance," adding that she was "spending at a rate that is not sustainable given my projected retirement income going forward."
According to Mitchell, Greenspan spent the rest of the day holding the TV remote control, moving the remote up five channels and then down five channels for no apparent reason. "I kind of feel sorry for him," Mitchell said. "I think he really misses moving interest rates."
Elsewhere, in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Bush planned to list a series of his administration’s accomplishments, including that the United States is warmer than it has ever been.
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