Barack Obama Shouldn't Apologize for Daschle, Geithner Taxes
By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
“Did I screw up in this situation? Absolutely. I’m willing to take my lumps,” President Obama told Brian Williams yesterday as part of five different afternoon interviews he gave, referring to recent troublesome cabinet nominations.
Refreshing, says my colleague Bonnie Erbe, because apologizing didn’t come easy to Presidents No. 43 or No. 42.
I say President Obama should never have had to make that apology in the first place.
I was born and raised here in Washington, and was 2 months old when Lyndon Johnson was sworn in aboard Air Force One after President Kennedy’s assassination. While I can’t say I remember much about LBJ’s cabinet picks, I have seen my fair share of nominees come and go over the years.
In the old days, if you were nominated to a cabinet post and something came out about your past, you immediately removed your name from consideration. No question about it. You wrote a contrite letter to the president and you stepped aside. I can list all kinds of people who have done that over the years, but you wouldn’t recall their names because they left the spotlight so quickly--and humbly.
That’s because in Old Washington, no loyal member of the president’s team ever wanted to embarrass the president or create any sort of distraction from the president’s agenda. If there was a problem, you left. It’s just what you did. You also didn’t write kiss-and-tell books or otherwise cash in after your public service, but that’s another story.
Sure, there have been other nominees who hung in there--most notably, John Tower’s nomination for secretary of defense in 1989 comes to mind. But Tower did not remove his name from consideration at the insistence of President Bush No. 41, who was appalled at the personal attacks alleging that the senator drank too much. President Bush felt he and Tower had to stand up to the rumor mill on principle; the former chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee had done nothing wrong to disqualify him from office, and had even offered to stop drinking. (If drinking disqualifies you from public office, no one in Washington would have a job!)
But things have changed. Problems with obeying the tax laws--which were previously deal-breakers for nominees Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood, for example--are no longer reason to remove one’s name from consideration. And so Tom Daschle and Tim Geithner, for whatever reasons, did not step aside.
They chose to remain in the process--and in doing so, they forced the president and reluctant senators to publicly affirm their support for them, which I’m sure was awkward given their tax problems. And now the president feels he has to apologize to the American people for the nominations. With everything else the president has to deal with--the economy, the war, nuclear weapons in North Korea, genocide, you name it--and he has to spend his time in five interviews apologizing for what is basically a staff problem?
No one on the president’s team should ever put the boss in that situation. President Obama should never have had to make that apology.
- Read more by Mary Kate Cary.
- Read more from the Thomas Jefferson Street blog.
- Read more by Bonnie Erbe.
Tags: Barack Obama | Tom Daschle | Tim Geithner
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Reader Comments
Rally behind your President...
I think it was very humble on the part of the President to apologise. It only shows the power of his character and integrity - to take it on his chest. Clearly, he has a lot riding on his shoulders and the whole world is watching.
The mess he is dealing with is the result of the last 8 years of mismanagement for which neither did #43 apologise nor have any captains of industry (I mean the vaunted Wall Street guys) come forward with an apology. The "revered Wall Street gurus" have pretty much plundered the country and it is us on Main Street who suffering for their mistakes. They have committed highway robbery and not one of you have called for them to at the very least 'apologise'.
BTW, I am not an American and when I see so many posts against Mr.Obama, I am really surprised. While I understand and respect your opinions, I fail to see why so many are coming out against their President. This man, your President, is facing heavy odds - perhaps the worst that any President has ever faced. The multiple crisis(es) that he is dealing with will not go away in days or weeks. It will take time (perhaps months) to calm the system and restore trust in the hearts and minds of the American people and the world. Such is the magnitude of the problem and yet, many of you are so focused on discrediting your President. I think you ought to rally behind your President - no matter what your political leanings are. At the end of the day if you don't get your paycheck, you can't pay your bills and it does not matter if you are a republican, democrat, independent, black, white etc.
The tax issues faced by some of the nominees is a big distraction and it is certainly sad to see that some of them have chosen to only pay their taxes after their nomination. That is not right and I feel that these people no matter how good they are - should've withdrawn from the nomination process and should face the consequences. But it is time to move on and focus on the issues. I am sure better nominees will surface for these positions. I not sure how the vetting process in the US is for these nominees, but I think the nominees were not forthcoming to the transition team - and hence this mess. And I don't belive this is the President's fault - yet he apologised to the American people. That must mean something to you, right?
I think American's should focus on the path forward and not regress backward by bringing up issues from the election. Yes, you must hold the President to his promises - but give him a chance. He is dealing with issues of epic proportions that is impacting not just America but the entire world. He will make mistakes - but as long as the direction he sets for the country is right from a strategic and tactical perspective things should turn around.
As for me, I am also a fellow tax-payer and am a victim of corporate downsizing. I know it tough, but there is no point blaming everything on this one man. He has promise us hope aleast give him some!
Finally "The Buck Stops Here" Restored to the Oval Office
Reassuring that someone will be taking responsibility going forward. Needless to say most folks are happy that the rats have been swept out of the White House, bringing back the dignity of the office.
I will also accept Obama's apology for attempting to be bipartisan, while clearly the GOP has no intention of helping the country.
Unbelievable...
But its not a republican, and its not"a dog"( by the way that comparison in reference to the president and his staff is just lack of integrity, ridiculous, and in my opinion speaks alot about the "bloger" himself lol)..please let's not forget this in the FIRST president of COLOR..period! with that being said, not only are their unbelievable pressures that comes along with that historical level of accomplishment..curious viewers waiting for him to fall, curious viewers waiting for him to succeed, either way his 8 yrs pan out, he has paved the door for many more FIRST, so on top of that pressure he has to still take on the unwanted baggage that our 43rd president left lingering, tie the knots and reverse alot of the damage done to the economy, as well as try and bail us out of this ridiculous debt that our need to overconsume has created(and thats putting it in gentle terms) and place so much monetary emphasis on one area of government spending(need i say which one). So not only is our new and wonderful president still working out the kinx(mind you inauguration was only a few weeks ago and he's already doing more in a few weeks what bush hasn't done in 8 yrs!, and was already doing before he officially became the new president!), he has to backtrack nad clean up damage that still has to be done, which in my opinion should not be his added on responsibility! So instead of being so quick to blame obama for this and that or magnify his "mistakes"(and i use that word lightly as well because there is no I in team, or have we forgotten), how about supporting your president because like it or not please don't forget he is still our president...and that's something we ALL are going to have to come to terms with..play ball or leave!
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