President runs to Afghanistan to escape U.S. economic woes

In the immediate aftermath of hearing the new and disappointing Labor Department jobs numbers -- unemployment rose to 9.8 percent for the month of November and 15.2 million Americans are unemployed -- President Barack Obama took an unscheduled trip to the Afghan front of the Global War on Terrorism.

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Seeking to maintain his posture as a wartime president in the face of domestic turmoil and economic uncertainty, Obama told U.S. servicemembers at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan today that their bravery, resolve, expertise and commitment proves that America's best days lie ahead,. Obama thanked American military and civilian personnel for their sacrifices during a visit to the headquarters of Regional Command East, as well. That command, built around the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, is responsible for some of the most dangerous and deadly territories in Afghanistan. According to Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly, November's job growth came in far lower than expected and the unemployment rate rose to 9.8%. Employers added a mere 39,000 jobs to their payrolls in November. November's numbers also fell short of the 150,000 gain that economists and journalists expected. While private businesses continued to hire for the eleventh month in a row, they also missed expectations. Companies added just 50,000 jobs to their payrolls in October, falling short of the 170,000 jobs economists had predicted for the private sector. Even the federal government showed a reduction with 11,000 government jobs lost. Obama arrived at Bagram and met with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry. The president visited the Bagram hospital and awarded five Purple Heart medals to wounded servicemembers there. He then met with a platoon of 101st Airborne troopers who lost six soldiers November 29 when an Afghan Border Police trainee opened fire on them. Obama spoke to more than 3,500 servicemembers in a hangar at the base. He thanked them for their service and said they are part of an unbroken line of Americans "who have given up your comfort, your ease, your convenience, for America's security." Obama told the servicemembers and civilians they can be proud that because of their efforts and sacrifices, Afghanistan today has a more hopeful future. Critics of both Obama's terror war strategy and his in ability to stimulate a dragging economy at home claim Obama's Afghan trip was unnecessary and calculated to make him look presidential in spite of the many failures endured by his administration. "If the President really cared about our warfighters and not his own image, he would have visited the troops closer to Christmas or at least New Year's Eve. This wasn't anything more than a 'get outa town' visit so the simpleminded within the news media would help Obama to salvage some credibility," said former military intelligence officer and police detective Mike Snopes. "This is a cynical and cunning administration more concerned with its own survival than the welfare and liberty of the American people," said Snopes.