And then the monthly US employment report appeared on Friday.

The report contained good news for Obama - private employers stepped up hiring. April saw an additional 244,000 nonfarm jobs, more than in any of the previous 11 months.

But it also contained bad news - unemployment rose too. The survey of households showed a sharp decline in employment and only a modest rise in the labor force. The monthly jobless rate rose to 9.0 percent, up from 8.8 percent in March.

For Obama, whose biggest challenge to winning re-election next year will be the stuttering US economy, the gains in employment over the past seven months remain too meager to make much of a dent in the pool of 13.7 million Americans who are out of work.

Another of the administration's stubborn challenges also seemed to ease in the week when oil futures fell, taking oil below US$100 a barrel and raising hopes for a decrease in the relatively high gasoline prices that have angered car-loving Americans.