Investors Will Lose at Patriot Games

In the days following the Sept. 11 attacks, a call to financial arms echoed across the country.

In a quintessentially American response to the attacks, politicians and pundits voiced sentiments similar to those of Vice President Cheney, who encouraged Americans to "stick their thumb in the eye of the terrorists and ... not let what's happened here in any way throw off their normal level of economic activity."

Joining in were some Wall Street figures, who admonished Americans to "summon the patriotism to buy stocks," as Larry Kudlow, CEO of Kudlow & Co. and syndicated columnist, wrote shortly after the attacks. ...