I might have put this post under the economy board except....

[whistle]

...the New York Times editorial board seems to want to keep its comments political:

<snip>



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August 7, 2004
Bad News on the Job Front

There is no sugarcoating yesterday's employment report. The consensus forecast was for the American economy to add more than 200,000 new jobs in July. The actual number was 32,000. June's already weak report was revised downward, to 78,000 jobs from 112,000. Even May's hopeful numbers turned out to be less so, with 27,000 fewer jobs created than originally reported. The report's immediate impact will be to neutralize, if not undercut, President Bush's campaign boasts of a strong economic recovery.

Mr. Bush runs the risk of being the first president since Herbert Hoover to preside over a net decline in the number of jobs. This may not be all his fault; he inherited a bursting bubble, after all, and there are limits to a president's ability to counter economic cycles. But Mr. Bush is always just as eager to have the buck stop at his desk to take credit for good economic news as he is to deny or spin bad news. Yesterday was no exception.

<cut and link> http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/07/opinion/07sat1.html?th=&pagewanted=print&position=

Excuse me! It's not all George Bush's fault? Who has been in charge of the economic policy during this recovery? Who decided to make tax cuts for the rich a priority and jobs to take the trickle down route of Supply-Side Bushit Voodoo economics? Who decided that war with Iraq was the best way to take care of the terrorist problem and has blown American treasure, prestige and reputation abroad? Who has put young American military lives at risk fighting a needless war that he lied about and deceived Americans into giving their support to? Who has encouraged and given incentives to American companies to move jobs out of the country and allowed these same companies to lay off millions of skilled American workers? Who has ignored retraining programs and stopped supports to educate our young people entering the workforce? Who has given aid and comfort to the real enemies of America, the Saudi Royal family and stonewalled all efforts to get to the real causes of the 9/11 attacks on this country and only reluctantly set up the commission earlier this year because the families of the victims of those attacks would not back off the pressure on his office to do so? Who has allowed oil prices to sky-rocket into record highs under his watch and did nothing at all to curb or battle to under lying causes of the energy situation? Who has taken more vacation time off from his presidential duties and has literally spent his entire term in office, campaigning for his re-election? George W Bush has made keeping his own job a priority while millions of Americans are left to compete for an ever decreasing job market in the United States. The economy is the way it is, because of the direct impact of George W. Bush's policies and the republicans in congress who vote in lock-step to president's will, not the will of the working class people of the United States of America.

It seems the editors at the Times should stick to reporting and commenting on the truth and stop apologizing for the failures of this president.