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The White House greeted Friday's news that the economy added jobs in February with a sunny statement, one that ought to inspire a creeping sense of déjà vu. Alan Krueger, chairman of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers wrote, "Today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression." Now where have we heard that before? Oh yes:
In October, the unemployment rate dropped slightly to 9 percent. Krueger said in a statement, "Today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, but the pace of improvement is not fast enough."
In November, the unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent. Krueger said in a statement, "Today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, but the pace of improvement is still not fast enough."
In December, the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent. Krueger said in a statement, "Today's employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression." (At least we now know when the pace is fast enough.)