Prior to the attacks, only the mighty consumer was keeping the economy above water.

During all those months, consumers kept the economy above water.

For a start, American consumers are not actually keeping their wallets closed.

And whether the consumers will keep coming through Christmas is anyone's guess.

More recently, consumers have kept fares from rising by using the Internet to shop.

So far, consumers have kept the economy growing, if only slightly, by continuing to take on more debt.

But with the help of low interest rates and a tax cut, consumers have kept shopping.

The fact that consumers kept spending helped keep the 2001 recession mild.

Indeed, it's the mark of a wealthy society that consumers keep finding new goods and services to buy.

That may explain, then, why consumers have kept spending despite the sluggish economy.