Words have consequences. This past Veterans Day, President Bush sat down with reporters from CNN and reflected upon his years as president. When asked if he had any regrets, the president readily admitted that there have been moments that he has come to regret. "I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said," Mr. Bush said. He then recalled how his wife, Laura, had warned him that, "as president of the United States, be careful what you say." And this is my unsolicited piece of advice to President-elect Barack Obama. As leader of the Free World, it is an undeniable fact that when the president of the United States speaks, his words have consequences. Mr. Obama proved on the campaign trail that he is a gifted speaker. He was also disciplined in his campaign messages on domestic and foreign-policy issues. He must govern with the same type of discipline, especially when it comes to comments about the economy.

In October, the Reuters/University of Michigan's index of consumer confidence suffered the largest point drop in its history, and the gauge of expectations for six months from now, which economists consider a proxy for future spending, also declined sharply. This precipitous drop in consumer confidence is extremely troubling for our future economic prospects. When troubled consumers cut back on their spending, companies respond by cutting back on production and services, and the result is increased job losses and an overall deeper economic slump. The harsh reality is that our economy is largely dependent upon consumer spending. So, any plan to revitalize our economy put forth by President Obama and my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate is automatically doomed to failure if the American people and American businesses simply hoard their money; and that is exactly what they will do if they are not confident about their economic future. Similarly, from the global war on terror to health-care reform to tax cuts to homeland security, none of what Congress does would be possible if the powerhouse that is the American economy is not moving forward.

Words do have consequences. And what our government says can either help create the conditions for growth and prosperity or create the conditions to power the economy down a notch or two or more. The consumer's confidence is not driven wholly by facts; it is also driven in part by how those facts are presented by the president and other public figures. In other words, what our new leaders say can either help convince people to resume their normal lives and spend their money reasonably - or help convince them to bury more of their cash in the backyard.

Mr. Obama has said that he is looking to the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt for guidance on how to guide our nation through the current economic crisis. I sincerely hope he is taking the words of FDR´s first inaugural address to heart. In that speech, FDR said: "I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impel. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." If we are to pull ourselves out of our current economic malaise, President Obama must similarly speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly; that "this great nation has endured, will revive and will prosper."

Throughout the Bush presidency, my Democratic colleagues - then-Sen. Obama included - spent much of their time spinning every piece of economic news negatively in an effort to score political points. It worked. Success can easily breed contempt and I fear that many of my Democratic colleagues may be sorely tempted to continue to harp on, even exaggerate, bad economic news in order to provide a substantive rationale for their big government programs. Now that we really do have huge, and worldwide, economic problems, however, the incoming administration and Congress must stop the politics and start being pragmatic. Injecting more fear and anxiety into the minds of consumers than is warranted by the hard evidence creates a negative self-fulfilling prophecy.To overlook or ignore this risk threatens not only the incoming administration and Congress´ ability to pursue their pet projects, vital national interests, and the optimism and opportunities of ordinary Americans. A message strategy that unnecessarily exacerbates consumer fears (nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terrors) – is not the right way for our nation's new leaders to provide a new dialogue in Washington.

So, once again my unsolicited advice to Mr. Obama is this: Words do indeed have consequences. Your words can help restore the American people´s confidence in the economy and put us back on the road to prosperity, or they can destroy consumer confidence and prolong our economic pain. The choice is yours. The American people are listening and history is watching.

Rep. Dan Burton, Indiana Republican, was recently re-elected to a 14th term.