On Friday, the Bush administration received what initially appeared to be good news on the economic front with its monthly release on employment. In September, the unemployment rate was unchanged from August at 6.1%, and there was a net gain of 57,000 jobs. The good news was that this was the first net gain in jobs in seven months. However, the jobs data continue to indicate that, in all likelihood, the Bush administration will likely be the first since Hoover’s to have a net job contraction during its tenure.