UPDATE 2-Obama says some auto jobs gone, defends economic plan
* Obama says it is his job to get economy moving
* Says critics "carp and gripe"
* Jobless rate likely to "tick up" for several months (Updates with speech, changes dateline from WASHINGTON)
WARREN, Michigan, July 14 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama defended his handling of the U.S. economy on Tuesday in a visit to hard-hit Michigan and said the emergence from bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler is proof his plans are working.
But Obama also carried a dose of reality to Michigan, saying thousands of jobs lost to the auto industry's downturn are not coming back and it is time to prepare for new industries.
He touted a $12 billion initiative to encourage more Americans to seek education for new jobs.
Obama, a Democrat who often says he inherited a recession from Republican predecessor George W. Bush, fired back at Republican critics who say his $787 billion economic stimulus plan has failed to stem the rising jobless rate.
Obama said it is his responsibility to "get this economy back on its feet."
"That's my job. And it's a job that I gladly accept. I love these folks who helped get us into this mess and then suddenly say, 'Well this is Obama's economy.'"
"That's fine," Obama said. "Give it to me. My job is to solve problems, not to stand on the sidelines and carp and gripe," he said.
Talking to reporters before leaving for Michigan, Obama said the United States is trying to rebound from the most severe financial crisis since the Great Depression, and that the jobless rate probably will get worse before it gets better.
"My expectation is, is that we will probably continue to see unemployment tick up for several months," he said.
Critics have complained loudly about the government's bailout of GM and Chrysler, but the situation in Michigan would be far worse if the government had not acted, he said.
"It was the right thing to do," he said in Warren.
SOME AUTO JOBS WON'T COME BACK Continued...
