Bush helped Iowa turn corner

It lead the state down a dark alley where they had their money stolen and their jobs taken away.

"Because we acted, America has added more than 1.5 million new jobs over the past year. Because we acted, Iowa has added more than 11,000 jobs over the past year," the president told a downtown outdoor rally. "Because we acted, Iowa's unemployment rate is now 4.3 percent."

(snip)

State unemployment stood at 3 percent when Bush took office in January 2001.

Technically Bush is right. Because he acted, Iowa's unemployment rate rose 1.3% since Clinton. Because he acted, 11,000 jobs seems like a godsend to these people. If I take fifty dollars from you, only then can I seem compassionate when I give you ten back. Results matter.

*UPDATE* Pandagon has more:

In fact, the touchpoint of today wasn't reached until nearly a year and a half after the recession ended. It is, though, all Clinton's fault, even though "his" recession ended a year and a half before unemployment got to the 4.3% point (and then kept climbing). It's funny how much better Bush's record looks when you only compare it to itself...