OH, THERE'S THAT PROBLEM, ISN'T THERE? – AT 8:40 A.M. ET:  Just when the administration thought it could devote increasing resources to waging war against the foreign nation of Arizona, some statistics got in the way.  From Fox:

WASHINGTON -- The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months. The big surge was a setback to hopes that layoffs were declining.

The Labor Department says that applications for unemployment benefits rose to 471,000 last week, up by 25,000 from the previous week. It was the first increase in five weeks and the biggest jump since a gain of 40,000 in February.

The forecast had been for claims to fall by around 4,000 from the previous week. The unexpectedly large rise in new claims underscored that even though the economy is growing, improvements in the labor market are coming in fits and starts.

COMMENT:  This is not good, for the country or for the president.  And yet, it reflects what people are observing "out there."  The unemployment crisis isn't being solved.  In fact, it really isn't being addressed.  Should the unemployment rate go above 10 percent, which means an underemployment rate that is much higher, it could have a devastating psychological impact on the nation, and on the upcoming elections.

May 20, 2010