Jobs numbers

144k.

America's payrolls picked up in August, with the economy adding 144,000 jobs, slightly less than economists were forecasting and highlighting the slow and uneven recovery in the labor market that jobseekers have braved.

Not the strongest of numbers for Bush. The economy created jobs, but not enough to keep up with all those coming into the work place.

Couple this with other reports throughout the week, and there is no rosy picture for the Bush economy.

Worker productivity growth slowed in the second quarter, retailers saw tepid sales in August and new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week, according to a trio of reports that suggested the economy was still working through its rough patch.

Also of note, the big news this morning is not the Bush speech, or the convention, but Hurricane Frances and the school hostage issue. That can't be good for Bush either.