GOP Rep. told to take down 'failometer'

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- House Republican leaders have told Rep. Steve Stockman to take down from a hallway a 10-foot wide sign critical of President Barack Obama.

Stockman, R-Texas, called the sign an "Obama Failometer" and said it was "an objective, mathematical measure of Obama's failure to create jobs."

A spokesman for House Sergeant at Arms Paul D. Irving told the Houston Chronicle the sign -- mounted with adhesive tape in a corridor of the Cannon House Office Building -- violates House Office Building Commission policy. House GOP leaders told Stockman Tuesday to take it down.

For the time being, the sign is being stored in Stockman's office, the Chronicle said, but Stockman said in a statement "it will be back somewhere, and bigger."

"Tearing it down created more labor than Obama has," he said.

Stockman -- who gained attention this week when he invited rock musician and gun activist Ted Nugent to be his guest at the State of the Union address -- has invited Obama to come to Texas so he can show the president "how to create jobs," the newspaper said.