Our Great Wizard of Oz

When I first heard the murmurs and rumblings about the reporting errors at Recovery.gov claiming jobs created in districts that don't exist and what not I just rolled my eyes. Typical government ineptitude right? Reading our President's response to the criticism of the errors got me thinking a little more about my initial assumption that this was just more run of the mill government ineptitude. (Via Wizbang.)

Obama Calls Stimulus Data Errors 'Side Issue,' Says Focus Is on Job Growth
President Obama brushed off criticism over his administration's inaccurate reporting on job creation Wednesday, telling Fox News the accounting is an "inexact science" and that any errors are a "side issue" when compared with the goal of turning the economy around. He said job growth is his No.1 responsibility.

Emphasis added.

First thoughts, I wonder if the IRS will buy that accounting line come April 15? Well Mr. IRS Agent sir, you know the President did say that accounting is an inexact science. I can't see that going well for anyone who tries it. These errors in reporting are a very big deal if they are being held up as evidence that the goal of turning the economy around is being reached. Don't you? If there are such obvious errors at Recovery.gov what confidence is there that anything else the administration has to say about the economy has any resemblance to reality?

The president was responding to criticism from Republicans, as well as Democratic Rep. David Obey, who drew attention to embarrassing errors on the Recovery.gov Web site that tracks stimulus funding. The site is under fire for claiming a number of jobs were created from the stimulus in congressional districts that don't exist and accepting unrealistic and inflated jobs data from various sources.

Second thoughts, I'm getting a vision of the Wizard of Oz here. I bet you can guess which scene I'm thinking of. The one where Toto pulls the current back in the great wizard's chamber to reveal the little man behind the curtain who's pulling levers and pushing buttons to make the great wizard perform. He desperately claims, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" Despite the great wizard's admonitions Dorothy and her crew do pay attention to the little man behind the curtain. Not only that, they confront him and take him to task for deceiving them and putting them in danger.

"I think this is an inexact science. We're talking about a multitrillion-dollar economy that went through the worst economic crisis since 1933. The first measure of success of the economic recovery is, did we pull ourselves back from the brink? We did," Obama said. "The question now is, can we make sure we're accelerating job growth? That's my No. 1 job. Nobody's been more disappointed than I have to see how high the unemployment rate has gotten. And I spend every waking hour, when I'm talking to my economic team, about how we are going to put people back to work."

I'm still getting that Wizard of Oz vibe how about you? The little man behind the curtain had the chance to redeem himself by coming clean about who and what he was. He stopped trying to impress people and be greater than what he was. He realistically did what he could with what he had and for the most part things ended well for him. Just a thought y'all.