The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. It is 70 degrees and hazy but sunny here in Upstate NY. We really had an exceptionally nice day on Monday, pleasantly warm, no humidity, sunny - maybe we'll get a repeat today. I see where the media is traipsing out all of the usual demented suspects in the mess that we call the Iraq War. Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, they are all making TV appearances and damned if they are not offering nothing but criticism and advice. Well, they can essentially all go to hell ASAP. I've seen and heard enough of their nonsense for multiple lifetimes. I think America understands this point.

  At 8:30 a.m. ET futures are slightly higher and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

  The calamity in Iraq or rather the calamity that is Iraq has caught everyone's attention including investors. There is of course a fear of the disruption of the flow of oil. That's always good for a boost in oil prices. Meanwhile investors will be parsing data on housing today and as always, may calmer minds prevail.

CNN: Stocks: 4 things to know before the open

...a recent spike in oil prices was driven by "fear of disruption of supply, rather than actual disruption of supply.