President Bush is heading to Main Street today to hear how the lending freeze-up is hurting average Americans.

At a Chamber of Commerce roundtable in Alexandria, Louisiana, the president will hear about how hard it is to get a loan these days, either to run a new business or buy a new home.

Over the weekend, Bush expressed optimism that the government rescue effort will stabilize things.

His top economic adviser, Ed Lazear, told a Sunday talk show it's going to take several more months before the nation's clogged lending system starts working again.

Lazear conceded a recession is probably under way in parts of the country.

The national unemployment rate is already over 6%, and it's higher in some areas.