UNEMPLOYMENT IS DOWN, and employment is up — by more than economists expected. Steve Verdon is happy. (And scroll up for some interesting information on manufacturing jobs).

How does Paul Krugman feel?

UPDATE: Read this, too.

Meanwhile some readers think I shouldn’t mock Paul Krugman here — Vish Subramanian emails that I should save that for Maureen Dowd, who really deserves it — but I disagree. I’m no fan of Bush’s spending, as I’ve noted before, but Krugman’s hope that a second Great Depression would sweep Bush out of office has been too transparent not to mock. While I generally leave serious Krugman-mockery to the pros, like Kaus and Luskin, I can’t resist an occasional jab.