Senate Leader Reid Explains Job Loss Remark

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday his puzzling statement on February job loss numbers had been mischaracterized by conservative Republicans.

Reid got up on the Senate floor Friday afternoon to clear up some comments he made earlier in the day and to take a shot at his Republicans antagonists. Reacting to Labor Department figures that showed the jobless rate unchanged in February, Reid first said, "Today is a big day in America, only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good."

What he actually meant to say, he explained, was "lost their jobs" in February and that the 36,000 dip was not as bad as economists expected.

"I want to talk about some remarks I made this morning -- especially in the light of how they are being irresponsibly mischaracterized by those seeking to score more political points," Reid said on his second trip to the Senate to the floor of the chamber.

Reid said the February report -- unemployment was stuck at 9.7 percent -- was "undeniably devastating." But he argued that the situation could have been worse without the Democrats' economic stimulus package.

Then Reid cautioned his Republican critics against celebrating bad news, The Hill newspaper reported.

"And I warn them, once again, that this country has no place, and no patience, for those who root for failure."