If President Bush was hoping for good news on the jobs front Friday, he was probably disappointed.

Businesses added 96,000 jobs in September, according to the Labor Department. It’s fair to say everyone – except maybe Sen. John Kerry, who will use the slow growth to bludgeon the president – was hoping for more.

Jobs are a big issue in the election. Even with the new additions, there are about 821,000 fewer jobs in the United States than when President Bush took office.

It takes about 150,000 new jobs every month to account for new people entering the workforce. The good news is the country has had a year of job growth, but only four times has it exceeded that mark.

Also, AT&T announced last week it would lay off 7,400 workers before the end of the year and Bank of America said it will cut 4,500 jobs, in addition to the 12,500 jobs announced earlier in the year as part of its merger with FleetBoston.

That’s a tough record for a president seeking re-election.