Obama blames himself for mishandling Daschle

[baldguy]

Source: AP via Yahoo

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is taking responsibility for mistakes in the handling of the tax controversy that led to Tom Daschle's withdrawal as President Barack Obama's nominee to be health and human services secretary, saying: "I screwed up."

The president did a series of back-to-back television interviews in which the subject of failed nominees was a top subject.

Obama told NBC "I'm frustrated with myself" for unintentionally sending a message that there are "two sets of rules" for paying taxes, "one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks."

"I take responsibility for this mistake," he told Fox News.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/daschle_taxes

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Can you imagine Zippy the Wonder Chimp ever taking responsibility for his actions - EVER?

[Windy]

1. Did the media morons even get to the economy or the stimulus????????

[Xipe Totec]

2. The buck stops with Barrack n/t

[thereismore]

32. Barack. nt

[Xipe Totec]

40. ...

[undeterred]

3. I am glad Daschle withdrew

and disappointed in Obama for not setting a higher standard with many of his picks.

[GinaMaria]

8. I agree that Daschle did the right thing

but I don't know how much President Obama knew. From what I read, Daschle did not disclose this tax error. It put BHO in a bad spot. Daschle worked very hard to get BHO elected and I'm impressed that he puts that above his own interests. I think/hope his standards are high. He may have been blind sided by people's past behavior.

Sad to have this happen so early in the administration, but BHO is someone mature enough to learn from mistakes and continuously improve. What more could we ask of anyone even ourselves than that?

[Window]

22. What GinaMaria said. Exactly.

Peace:thumbsup:

[DissedByBush]

27. From what I heard

Daschle said he realized he had a tax problem in June and he told the committee in December around the same time he paid it.

Obama screwed up in handling the repercussions of nominating and standing behind a known tax deadbeat not in the nomination itself.

"Well, I think my mistake is not in selecting Tom originally"

He probably didn't think we would care. Well Mr. President we do. After eight years of Bush corruption we take your promise of cleaning up Washington seriously and intend to hold you to it. Nominating three tax deadbeats so fast is getting too much for coincidence.

Now that you have realized we are serious it is time for you to take your promise to us seriously.

Keep that promise and you are guaranteed my vote in 2012.

[grytpype]

4. To the media, this just proves he's mistake-prone and weak.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. The measure of a person...

is not how many mistakes they make, but how they handle their mistakes.

[Bake]

41. Unlike Bushie Boy, of course, who NEVER admitted a mistake ...

But made plenty of them.

Bake

[Cha]

42. The corporatemediawhores are a mistake and

they're fucking weak. Who the fuck cares. We won in spite of them.

[grantcart]

5. Man this guy is just no fun to kick around at all

[Ilsa]

6. I'm proud of our president. He is strong enough to take the heat for

errors made by his administration. This will only make him look better, I think.

[devilgrrl]

7. What's the matter with him? He's supposed to pass the buck like his predecessor.

:wtf:

:sarcasm:

[nickyt]

9. What, no "mistakes were made"?!

This'll take some getting used to!!

[droidamus2]

10. Wait.. Wait.. Wait

Did I just read what I thought I read. No couldn't be could it. A President actually admitting that he made a mistake and that it was 'his responsibility'. After 8 years of our 'perfect president' who never did anything wrong or made a mistake and if anything bad happened on his watch it wasn't his fault. Now we have a new president that hasn't even been in office a month and already he is admitting mistakes and taking responsibility. I say what is this country and world coming too!!!! :sarcasm:

[bluestateguy]

11. No Drama Obama

Getting Clinton or Bush to ever apologize for anything was like pulling teeth.

Then there was Carter who apologized TOO much, and it came to make him look like a bumbler.

[closeupready]

12. See now, this is a man you can respect, even though Daschle is not.

The buck stops with him, and he faces the music. I love that. Gobama.

[awoke_in_2003]

19. Gobama...

indeed :toast:

[maddezmom]

13. OMG

It's amazing to see a President take responsiblity for mistakes. Are you sure this isn't from The Onion? :)

[kpete]

14. Obama: 'I screwed up' in Daschle withdrawal

Source: MSNBC

Obama: 'I screwed up' in Daschle withdrawal
Insists 'there aren’t two sets of rules' for elite and for other Americans

WASHINGTON - “I screwed up,” President Barack Obama told NBC’s Brian Williams Tuesday in the wake of his nominee to be secretary of health and human services, Tom Daschle, withdrawing his name from consideration.

Daschle dropped out after acknowledging that he had belatedly paid more than $128,000 in taxes owed to the federal government.

“Today was an embarrassment for us,” Obama said. He said he was “angry,” “disappointed” and “frustrated with myself” over the Daschle episode.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28994296/

[deminks]

15. Yes, O, you did.

[Igel]

37. Did Daschle pay the penalty?

I would have had to. My mother-in-law has to, and hers was an error not made by her, but by her husband--now deceased--was very ill and mentally altered. Still, she's on the hook for the penalty. That's the rule.

Geithner didn't have to pay the penalty. Daschle will only have to if there's a stink made over it, I'm sure. That, apparently, is also the rule.

But of course, there aren't two sets of rules.

How's that Rangel ethics committee investigation going? Wasn't it to be done in early January? Must've missed it.

Uh-huh. Not two sets of rules. There's just one rule with some exceptions.

[Jansen]

45. Says that Daschle paid up in December.

If he hadn't I would agree with you though.

[nolabear]

16. A mensch

Pure and simple.

[Patchuli]

35. He ~is~ a mensch

and that's why I love him. I am proud of my President!

[Buns_of_Fire]

44. ...as opposed to a putz.

("president Putz" -- Geez, NOW I think of that name, two months too late!)

[Taverner]

17. Man = fessing up to your mistakes

Hence, Obama = man, Bush = boy

[TexasProgresive]

20. That's refreshing!

After 8 years of "born again" NOT ME it is so good to have someone at the helm who not only makes mistakes but acknowledges them and hopefully learns from them.

[davefromqueens]

21. Smart and Refreshing

This will play well with the vast majority of the American public. We as a people tend to be forgiving of individuals so long as the individuals own up to the mistakes.

[katandmoon]

23. Thumb's up for this -- now I hope he pays more than lip service to the lession he's learned

[sandyj999]

24. How Refreshing!

A man in the White House that actually takes responsibility! That hasn't happened in a very long time.

[MasonJar]

25. At least Obama has the class to admit that he is to blame. Geitner

should have also withdrawn. Just what we need: a Treasury Secretary who cannot file (correctly) his own personal taxes. Obama should choose Howard Dean fro HHS; he won't though. P. S There is a DU post tonight supporting Dean. Check it out and send an e-mail promoting Dean if you support him.

[Dover]

39. Yes, Geitner needs to follow suit. How can the IRS ever do it's job again?

Anyone who does not pay taxes will have an excuse.

And when (I HOPE) they go after all those offshore accounts and illegal tax havens, they better be sure their own house is clean. And there lies the problem. Washington is SO corrupt, just about everyone's hands are dirty.

[Mithreal]

26. Prominent people vs. ordinary folks

Something about that bugs me. I guess I don't like being one of the ordinary folks who worked his tail off to get him elected and now he doesn't even let me know he received my emails or comments on change.org. I know Bush ignored my emails content but the Bush White House at least let you know the emails were received by the White House.

So, he takes responsibility for making some kind of mistake. I take responsibility for mistakes all the time. It is called being a decent human being.

All hail and praise the President, he took responsibility for unintentionally sending the wrong message.

I appreciate the people on DU who cheer the President when the community's mood seems to be low, but praising things that we should expect from an ordinary decent person is absurd.

[uberblonde]

28. Yes, it is his fault.

Perhaps if Obama had selected someone who identified more with health care users than the multi-millionaires who run the insurance companies, he wouldn't have problems like this.

[mac56]

33. Hey, what if he admits it's his fault, and that he feels bad about it?

Oh, wait.....

[EFerrari]

38. He can't really. He has to pick another politician. n/t

[Cha]

43. That's what he said. It's his fault.. and

you don't know a thing about why he chose Daschle but act like you do.

[WePurrsevere]

29. Well look at that... an adult is back in charge....

and I'm thrilled to bits. :)

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

30. "I take responsibility for this mistake."

Well, whaddaya know. So THAT'S what it looks like- a REAL responsibility president.

Blow me down.

[AnnieBW]

31. Wow...

When was the last time you heard a President say that he screwed up and takes responsibility for his mistakes?

[Still Sensible]

34. It was good Dashle withdrew, but

it really fucked up the President's media day. He had it set up to talk all about the Recovery Act and he had to spend half his time in five interviews dealing with Dashle. Unfortunately it wouldn't have mattered if Dashle waited, it still would've been half the story.

[superconnected]

36. Remember how Bush NEVER accepted responsibility. Obama - still making me proud, every day.