Obama slammed on ‘fine' comment

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama issued two pleas on Friday, one asking Europe to do something to keep its debt crisis from dragging down the rest of the world’s economy, and the other asking Congress to push through his jobs plan that has been stalled for almost a year.

He said the plan would have been creating jobs is Republicans had not delayed passing it.

The plan calls for an increase in government spending to help pay teachers, to build schools and to improve highways.

Obama said now was the time to invest.

“Today we are fighting back against the biggest recession since the Great Depression,” he said.

The president also made a heavily-criticized comment, saying the private sector of the economy is “doing fine.”

He later said he misspoke, adding that the economy is “clearly not fine.” But the comment came after Republican leaders responded.

“And the president’s message in all this – have you heard his campaign slogan? ‘Forward! Forward! Over a cliff,’” Mitt Romney said at a campaign stop in Iowa.

He also asked if the president was so out of touch he thought the economy was doing fine.

While most Americans agree Europe’s debt situation is a big deal, a new poll found most people are not highly focused on it.

However, signs of the European debt crisis were not evident on Wall Street.

The markets wrapped up the best week of the year. On Friday, the Dow tacked on 93 points. The NASDAQ added 27.

WSOC