Obama's jobs claim is just a guess-timate

By Angie Drobnic Holan
Published on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 p.m.

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In the 100 days since its passage, the economic stimulus has "saved or created nearly 150,000 jobs."

Barack Obama, Wednesday, May 27th, 2009.

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Obama made 58 promises on the environment. We've rated 29 as In the Works and 16 as Kept.

Now that it's been 100 days since the economic stimulus package was signed into law, President Barack Obama is praising the measure for its job-creating impact.

"In these last few months, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has saved or created nearly 150,000 jobs — jobs building solar panels and wind turbines, making homes and buildings more energy efficient," Obama said during a visit to Las Vegas. "They're the jobs of teachers and police officers and nurses who have not been laid off as a consequence of this Recovery Act. They're the jobs fixing roads and bridges, jobs at start-ups and small businesses, and jobs that will put thousands of young Americans to work this summer."

We were intrigued by that number of 150,000 jobs. Note the crucial point that it's jobs created or "saved." That means they're counting people who have avoided layoffs because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. How do you count that?

See our analysis here .