NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The news today was consistent in an unusual regard -- nearly every news development seemed to have a countervailing element.

The U.N. Security Council was focused on Ramallah, demanding that Israel withdraw its forces now surrounding Yasser Arafat.

The United States was focused on Iraq, demanding that the Security Council support the U.S. policy against Saddam Hussein. Both Iraq and Israel are, of course, ignoring the United Nations and its resolutions altogether.

While British Prime Minister Tony Blair was informing his parliament that Saddam Hussein could assemble weapons of mass destruction in a matter of 45 minutes, the Bush administration lowered the terrorist threat level here from 'high' to merely 'elevated.' Or as the Homeland Security office would have it, from orange to yellow.

And at day's end, newly re-elected German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder dined with Prime Minister Blair, trying to find a way to improve now-poisoned relations with the United States after Schroeder and his party made Iraq a campaign issue.

Schroeder's Justice Minister charged that President Bush was using the threat of war to distract voters from domestic issues, just as Adolph Hitler had.

Interestingly, Schroeder's party faced the voters Sunday responsible for a failing economy, 10 percent unemployment and crime and immigration problems.

An interesting day, by any standard... or lack thereof.