Obama looking at any way to create jobs

SPRINGFIELD, Va. (AP) - Standing at the site of a highway project funded by his economic stimulus plan, President Barack Obama said Wednesday he is committed to exploring all avenues to create jobs.

Obama said his administration is going to keep going until "every single American in this country who's looking for work is going to be able to get the kind of well-paying job that supports their families."

Obama spoke from the top of a large mound of dirt and gravel, the site of a highway construction project in the Virginia suburbs outside Washington.

He chose the site of the Fairfax County Parkway Extension project to feature the progress of the stimulus package passed earlier this year. The project is the state's largest stimulus-funded project. When completed, it will connect both ends of Fairfax County.

While some businesses have credited the stimulus bill with preventing layoffs, the national unemployment rate stands at 9.8 percent. Many economists have said unemployment could continue to rise.

The administration has stopped short of calling for a second economic stimulus package.

But with the job picture slow to improve, Obama said his administration is moving forward to boost the economy.

"We're going to continue to explore each and every avenue that I can think of that will lead to job creation and economic growth," he said while standing with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and four construction workers wearing hard hats.