Obama economic aides defend stimulus plan

Their report -- an effort to quiet bipartisan criticism over aspects of the plan -- predicts, among other things, that without passage of the plan, unemployment could reach 9%. > Facing increased skepticism from both parties about the details of his economic stimulus proposal, President-elect Barack Obama and his team Saturday laid out new claims regarding the $775-billion package, saying that 90% of the jobs produced would be in the private sector, including hundreds of thousands in construction and manufacturing. (link)