“I don’t get how someone can be very bearish on the economy and expect rates to rise at the same time. Especially knowing that BB is a recession/depression hawk. He’ll do what ever he can to keep us out of one.”

You really don’t understand what is going on do you?? We are a net debtor nation who is dependant on influx of foreign credit to fund the deficit spending. Bernanke doesn’t really control the interest rates, at least not directly. He can only influence them. Ultimately, it is the market for debt that will control them in the long term and their appetite for risk and a weak currency policy that pays them back in weaker dollars.