Republicans had a field day recently after the governor of Kansas came to Ohio and commended Gov. Ted Strickland for the job he's done turning around the state's economy.

A story from the AP says, look at the record, they said:

_Unemployment in the state hit a five-year high of 6.3 percent in May, according to figures from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

_Layoffs doubled in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

_Thousands of jobs have been lost since Strickland took office, including from General Motors Corp., ABX Air, and DHL Express.

_The number of Ohioans receiving food stamps and public assistance is up 9.4 percent in central Ohio from a year ago.

_Ohio ranks ninth nationally in its rate of home foreclosures.

_The state is failing to attract high-technology jobs, as Strickland had promised, according to a new Milken Institute study.

Granted, the situation is bleak. Hardly an indicator has seen an uptick since Strickland took office and placed his righthand man, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, in charge of economic development.

Still, the Strickland administration argues that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was justified in remarks complimenting the governor's efforts, delivered during the Ohio Democratic Party's annual dinner June 21.