Bush Backs Off Forecast of 2.6M New Jobs

By TERENCE HUNT
AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush distanced himself Wednesday from White House predictions that the economy will add 2.6 million jobs this year, the second embarrassing economic retreat in a week and new fuel for Democratic criticism.

"Now they're already walking backwards on their own predictions," Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry said in Ohio, where unemployment has risen from 3.9 percent to 6 percent since Bush took office.

The jobs controversy came on the heels of White House economist N. Gregory Mankiw's assertion that "outsourcing" American jobs overseas was good for the U.S. economy in the long run. Bush, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other Republicans quickly disavowed Mankiw's remarks, and the economist had to apologize for a "lack of clarity."

Jobs are a sensitive political issue for Bush as he fights to keep his own job in a second term. The economy has lost 2.2 million payroll jobs since Bush took office, the worst job-creation record of any president since Herbert Hoover.

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Meanwhile Mr. Bush has sent 541 Americans unnecessarily to their deaths in Iraq in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction that did not exist. This presidency has been a disaster for America. On his watch nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives in the worst terrorist act ever on AMerican soil. On his watch, this nation has gone from record surpluses to record deficits. Lets get rid of him and the Republicans in Congress that have created this awful mess. We can do better.