Romney for jobs!

If I understand the Republican position, government does not create jobs.

Other than, you know, jobs defending our country, building the Hoover Dam (and thus making possible Las Vegas), creating the interstate highway system, educating our children, policing the streets, putting out fires, (formerly) running the space program, prosecuting and warehousing criminals and making sure airplanes don't fall from the sky on a daily basis. But that's another story.

So, because government does not create jobs, the natural question clearly is: Why can't President Obama create more jobs?

That was the pointed query that arose during the past two weeks of political conventions, when both candidates helped create or save a lot of media jobs. (Thanks, candidates! You're awesome!)

"And unlike the president, I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs," Republican Mitt Romney declared in accepting his party's nomination for president.

That's all well and good, although he's got a ways to go to catch up, according to former President Bill Clinton. Labor Department statistics show that of the 66 million private-sector jobs created since 1961, 42 million came about while Democratic presidents were in office, while 24 million happened under Republicans. And that's true even though Republicans have held the White House for 28 years while Democrats have held it for 24 years.

To be fair, you can't credit the president for the creation of private-sector jobs alone. Presidential policies are attenuated by congressional compromises, global events and myriad other factors. But since Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, are asking "Where are the jobs, Mr. President?" we can't discount presidential responsibility, can we?

It turns out, 4.5 million private-sector jobs have been created during the past 30 months, far fewer than we need, and just more than a third of what Romney has promised to create. But some of those jobs are critical: Car makers, car parts manufacturers and the like - whom Romney was willing to consign to bankruptcy, according to an op-ed he submitted to The New York Times. Or jobs in manufacturing components for wind energy (supported by a tax credit that's about to expire) that will become ever more necessary as the country transitions inevitably to clean energy.

But Romney has plans for job creation, too, although he was murky about some details in his acceptance speech. But his five-step plan (apparently boiled down from a less wieldy 59-point plan) offers some clues as to where jobs would be created in a potential Romney administration.

There's Romney's energy independence by 2020 plank, which would create jobs drilling for oil and natural gas and - we hope - preventing disastrous oil spills like the BP fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico. (Then again, even that created jobs for cleanup specialists, trial lawyers and public relations experts.)

There's job training to "give our fellow citizens the skills they need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow." There's the pledge to simultaneously "cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget." Remember, this will happen while also maintaining the George W. Bush tax cuts. Clearly, this will create jobs for both magicians and non-linear mathematics professors, which have for far too long been neglected by Washington.

And finally, there's repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Taking away health care from millions of uninsured people undoubtedly will boost jobs for critical-care nurses, emergency room and primary care physicians, coroners, undertakers and funeral home personnel.

When you add it all up, Romney might just be able to deliver on that promise of 12 million new jobs.

Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist and author of the blog SlashPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at (702) 387-5276 or ssebelius@reviewjournal.com.)