Unemployment Rate Changes Put In Perspective

Let's put the levels of unemployment at this point in the Presidential cycle into perspective.

The above chart tracks the point changes  in the unemployment rate since the first full month of each of  the current and previous Presidents' terms. For President Obama, the numbers show unemployment brought back down to where it was as his watch was just getting started. For President Bush II, the numbers at the equivalent point in his first term show unemployment significantly worse than where it was as his watch was just getting started.