Focusing on the rise in the nation's unemployment rate last month and not the increase in the number of jobs on businesses' payrolls, House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio just released a statement saying that:

"A 9.9% unemployment rate is a harsh reminder that families and small businesses continue to ask 'where are the jobs?'

"Positive job growth is always welcome news, but this rising and painfully high unemployment rate is a far cry from President Obama's promise that the trillion-dollar 'stimulus' would keep joblessness from rising above 8%. It has not, and millions have lost their jobs while Washington Democrats continue to push job-killing policies that pile more debt onto the backs of our kids and grandkids.

"These misguided policies include a massive government takeover of health care, a Wall Street bailout bill, a value-added tax, a gas tax, and a government takeover of the Internet, all of which will kill jobs."

Meanwhile, Christina Romer, who chairs the president's Council of Economic Advisers, just posted a statement that says, in part:

"Today's employment report shows the strongest signs yet of healing in the labor market, as private non-farm payrolls expanded substantially. At the same time, the rise in the unemployment rate reminds us of how far we still have to go before the economy is fully recovered. ... The unemployment rate is painfully high, and payroll employment is still nearly 8 million below its level at the start of the recession. It will take many months of robust job growth to restore the labor market to genuine health. Further targeted actions to spur private sector job creation are critically needed to ensure a more rapid, widespread recovery."

Update at 11:15 a.m. ET. President Barack Obama has now offered his thoughts as well. "We've got to be mindful that today's job numbers, while welcome, leave us with a lot of work to do," he said a short time ago. "It's going to take time to achieve the strong and sustained job growth that is necessary."