Obama comes under sharp criticism...from himself
Photo 
President Barack Obama speaks with reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, during a meeting with Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama to CBS: "I screwed up."
Obama to CNN: "I think I screwed up, and I take responsibility for it."
Obama to NBC: "Did I screw up in this situation? Absolutely. And I'm willing to take my lumps."
The White House approaches each day with talking points but none like this one.
Normally the picture of calm and confidence, Obama performed mea culpas in a series of TV interviews following Tom Daschle's withdrawal from consideration as health and human services secretary.
Daschle and Obama's pick for federal spending watchdog both pulled out of contention Tuesday because of personal tax problems. Earlier, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew as Obama's choice as commerce secretary because of an ethical investigation in the state. Timothy Geithner won Senate confirmation as treasury secretary despite $34,000 in tax arrears he had belatedly paid.
The president invited network news anchors into the Oval Office one at a time and offered basically the same message, that he had been slow to recognize the double standard obvious to ordinary Americans who are cut no slack if they fall behind on their taxes.
Obama to Fox: "I take responsibility for this mistake." He vowed his best effort to "make sure we're not screwing up again."
Obama to ABC: "This is a self-induced injury that I'm angry about, and we're going to make sure we get it fixed."
Obama to CBS: "It's frustrating for me, and it's something that I take responsibility for."
The audacity of acknowledging — even emphasizing — poor judgment came in marked contrast to his predecessor. George W. Bush pronounced himself stumped when asked, midway through his presidency, to name mistakes he'd made. Much later, he thought of some.
Obama didn't just do a lightning round with top names from the five networks; he did it in the Oval Office, the hallowed room that is not often used for such a rapid-fire succession of interviews. The setting showed Obama in the very seat of power as he owned up to mistakes on a rocky day.
Still, Obama denied that his vetting process for nominees was flawed or that his promise to set new ethical standards in Washington was at all tainted by his decision to exempt several high-level appointments from his restrictions on hiring lobbyists.
The mistake, he said repeatedly in interviews with Charles Gibson of ABC, Brian Williams of NBC, Anderson Cooper of CNN, Chris Wallace of Fox and Katie Couric of CBS, was in seeming to give credence to the notion that one set of rules exists for VIPs and another for average Americans.
Like many presidents before him, Obama lamented that the towering business of the day — in this case saving the economy — had been obscured by dust kicked up over something else.
Unlike many, he said he only had himself to blame for that.
"I'm frustrated with myself, with our team" he told NBC.
"And I'm here on television saying I screwed up and that's part of the era of responsibility, is not never making mistakes; it's owning up to them and trying to make sure you never repeat them and that's what we intend to do."
Feb 3, 2009 at 7:42 p.m.
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"President Obama...cleaning up Washington one nominee at a time!"
Now that's funny!
Feb 3, 2009 at 7:41 p.m.
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I was watching LOU DOBBS; This kind of behavior by the President has ME very concerned. He is hiring people that "ARE" connected to the fail of this country,NAFTA and other rich peoples interests. Anyone else seeing the same ole,business as usual?? Any one see it differently?
Feb 3, 2009 at 7:25 p.m.
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"LINDA CHAVEZ _ The conservative commentator withdrew in January 2001 as President George W. Bush's nominee to be labor secretary after it was disclosed that she gave a Guatemalan woman free room and board in her home and $1,500 during a two-year period in the early 1990s even though Chavez knew she was an illegal immigrant.
BERNARD KERIK _ The former New York police commissioner withdrew in December 2004 as Bush's nominee to be homeland security secretary. Amid a rising list of problems with the nomination, Kerik said he was backing out because he discovered he had hired an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper and nanny and failed to pay required employment taxes and make related filings on the worker's behalf.
Ah yes...Democrats and Redpublicans in name only...
Politicians first...they're all of the same mold.
Feb 3, 2009 at 2:35 p.m.
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They all back down on their promises. They
say what the people want to hear to get
elected.
Feb 3, 2009 at 2:31 p.m.
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What's really amazing is the media that put him into the whitehouse by covering him like "the one", has wrote something a little negative !
Feb 3, 2009 at 2:09 p.m.
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President Obama...cleaning up Washington one nominee at a time!
Feb 3, 2009 at 12:57 p.m.
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I think EVERYBODY that works at the White House needs to be audited,just see how many others aren't paying their taxes. Come on OBAMA,if ya only caught two or three people,can you imagine how many more crocks are working for you. Clean house if need be,i'll bet the prisons would be full of corrupt law makers. Then go state to state & you'll find more corruption. I have always said,if you make more money then you really need,their has to be some type of dishonesty or corruption going on.
Feb 3, 2009 at 12:06 p.m.
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Dacschle has left the building. He just withdrew himself. Best move he's made in years.
Feb 3, 2009 at 11:39 a.m.
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Here we go...everyone enjoy the ride. And what a ride it's going to be. Already our tax dollars are paying for someone's abortion over seas and it's only been how many days in office and he is already breaking promises? Whoa! Who would have guessed??? Of course the die hard liberals are already making excuses for their savior.
Feb 3, 2009 at 10:15 a.m.
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Yet this only surprises half the voters.
Feb 3, 2009 at 10:04 a.m.
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So you consider two more Republicans in cabinet positions than status quo would dictate a good thing? Curious. But seriously, give Obama a break. Washington is not going to change overnight.
Feb 3, 2009 at 9:52 a.m.
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"It's also next to impossible to find anyone with experience in Washington that hasn't at least advised a lobby group at some point in the past"
I agree. In fact, I don't even care if lobbyists hold posts. However,during the campaign he promised this wouldn't happen and one day in to office with great fanfare HE SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER barring it only to deicde that excpetions were needed less than a week later.
I am not naive enough to think that both political parties don't break campaign promises but this was suppose to be different. This was CHANGE I COULD BELIEVE IN. I feel so violated. My Rose Colored Glasses are starting to fog up.
Feb 3, 2009 at 9:46 a.m.
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The lobbying is bad enough but the tax problems are particularly troubling. I've never "forgot" to pay my taxes but our new treasury secretary did.
Feb 3, 2009 at 9:41 a.m.
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Yep, change we can beleive in! Why did the people believe him in the first place? he's a politician for heavens sake! I think he put some kind of mind control thing on the american people who voted him in. Now they are going to wonder why the heck they voted for him in the first place. this is politics as usual, and always will be! Don't blame me when you're crying in your milk!!!
Feb 3, 2009 at 9:38 a.m.
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'Bush had exactly one Democrat...'
Feb 3, 2009 at 9:38 a.m.
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Rome wasn't built in a day. It's going to take a long time to undo the usual politics in Washington. It's also next to impossible to find anyone with experience in Washington that hasn't at least advised a lobby group at some point in the past. I'm sure if Obama's entire cabinate had no experience, you would complain about that too. Obama has, so far, nominated three Republicans to his cabinate. Bush had exactly one, for six of his eight years in office.
Feb 3, 2009 at 9:32 a.m.
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Repeat after me
Hope
Change we can believe in
Yes we can
There, now we should all feel better
Feb 3, 2009 at 9:16 a.m.
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Two appointees are tax dodgers, Mr's. "I forgot to file, it was an honest mistake" and "I didn't know that $250,000 worth of auto's was taxable". Get ready for Washington politics "Chicago-style".
Feb 3, 2009 at 9:09 a.m.
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Typical politics. Promise the sun moon and stars but give anything but.
Feb 3, 2009 at 8:59 a.m.
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Yep, we got change. Just goes to prove that one can do a lot of talking about what he'll do but when it comes to doing it-----Well, we're still waiting.
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