A quick fix, a bit like a morning-after drink for a hangover.
I'm no economist, either, but I do know the US debt is largely held by foreigners. They will find it more and more attractive to buy foreign securities, as their bonds will yield higher interest.
As it is, the worth of those securities they do hold decreases with the dollar.
Last May Bernake said that the US could weather the sub-prime problems handily, they could be contained and there were no worries. He's the same guy now desperately dropping the Feds rates as the problems cascade.
Grim implications, there.
Arf