Mr. Obama needs to check his math

In an interview with Fox News this week, President Barack Obama dismissed the question of whether his administration has grossly exaggerated the number of jobs created by the stimulus.

"This is a side issue," Mr. Obama said.

But reporting has been so inaccurate that the Recovery.gov website established by the White House boasts of jobs created in House districts that don't exist.

Rep. David Obey (D-Wis) is a big supporter of the stimulus bill (he helped write it) but even he slammed the administration for all the inaccurate cheerleading.

"Credibility counts in government, and stupid mistakes like this undermine it," Obey said in a statement. "The inaccuracies on Recovery.gov that have come to light are outrageous, and the administration owes itself, the Congress and every American a commitment to work night and day to correct the ludicrous mistakes."

I'm convinced that Americans wanted two fundamental things from Mr. Obama -- more than healthcare reform, more even than jobs and national security.

The first is competence. The second is straight talk. No more "Mission Accomplished" muddle and bluster, which is what these fake job numbers amount to.

Mr. Obama's team should apologize, sharpen their pencils and give us a clear-eyed picture of how (or if) the stimulus package is working.