Reid: Jobs remarks 'irresponsibly mischaracterized'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ripped Republicans on Friday for having "irresponsibly mischaracterized" his remarks on February's jobs numbers.

Reid took to the Senate floor Friday afternoon to characterize remarks he made this morning in which he appeared to celebrate last month's jobs numbers as "really good" news.

The U.S. economy shed 36,000 jobs in February, which held the unemployment rate steady. Reid misspoke in his original remarks, which were roundly criticized by conservatives, as saying that only 36,000 jobs were lost today -- not in an entire month.

"I want to talk about some remarks I made this morning – especially in light of how they are being irresponsibly mischaracterized by those seeking to score political points," Reid said Friday afternoon.

And while the majority leader said that February's job losses were "undeniably devastating," Reid argued that job losses were much less than they could have been had Democrats not acted with their stimulus measures over the past year.

But Reid also lashed out at Republicans who've opposed many of those policies, accusing them of rooting for the economy's failure for their own political game.

"And I warn them, once again, that this country has no place and no patience for those who root for failure," Reid said to the GOP.