Lazear sees second-half economic improvement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House economic adviser Ed Lazear said on Friday the Bush administration felt a $168-billion fiscal stimulus that is just about to kick in should be enough to boost the economy in the second half.

Interviewed on CNBC television, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers said the first quarter was likely to be the weakest and after that growth should improve.

"We think that this is going to be the weakest quarter that we will have, hopefully, for a long time," Lazear said. "Our view is that things will get better in the second half of the year."

He turned aside a question whether the administration might consider a second fiscal stimulus program on top of the $168-billion of tax rebates that are to be paid to about 130 million Americans this year and in 2009.

"Right now, we think that we've done enough," Lazear said.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville; Editing by Andrea Ricci)