I asked this on Friday when we learned the nation’s unemployment rate had hit 9.7 percent, but it’s worth repeating: What will the economy have to look like before the Obama administration is willing to say the stimulus hasn’t worked as they hoped?

I’m prompted to ask this by this bit of economic analysis from Manpower: “Hiring expectations for the fourth quarter are improving around the world except in one key region: the U.S. That’s the finding of two quarterly employment outlook surveys released Tuesday by Manpower Inc. . . . The Manpower U.S. Employment Outlook Survey showed among U.S. employers, only 12% expect to add to their workforce in the October-December period, while 14% expect a decline and 69% see no change. Manpower says the results suggest employers expect a slight decrease in the rate of hiring when compared to third-quarter results.”

What would we have to see? 10 percent unemployment? 11 percent?