Sorry Harry Potter, no Hogwarts for you.

Tax problems torpedo two big Obama nominations

By JENNIFER LOVEN | apnews.myway.com

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama on Tuesday gave up his nomination fight for Tom Daschle and a second high-profile appointee who failed to pay all their taxes, fearing ugly confirmation battles that would undercut his claims to ethical high ground and cripple his presidency in just its second week. "I screwed up," he declared. "It's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules - you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes," Obama said in one of a series of interviews with TV anchors.

"I'm frustrated with myself, with our team. ... I'm here on television saying I screwed up," Obama said in an interview on NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams." He repeated virtually the same words in several other interviews. The White House announced that Daschle had asked to be removed from consideration as health and human services secretary and that that Nancy Killefer had made the same request concerning what was to be her groundbreaking appointment as a chief performance officer to make the entire government run better.

"They both recognized that you can't set an example of responsibility but accept a different standard of who serves," said spokesman Gibbs. Daschle said in a brief letter to Obama that he refused to "be a distraction" from the new president's drive for health care reform. Obama said neither he nor Daschle excused the former senator's tax errors but that he accepted his friend's decision "with sadness and regret."

Questions about Daschle's failure to fully pay his taxes from 2005 through 2007 had been increasing since they came to light last Friday. Daschle overlooked taxes on income for consulting work and personal use of a car and driver, and also deducted more in charitable contributions than he should have. To resolve it, he paid $128,203 in back taxes and $11,964 in interest last month.

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2010, picture a GOP election ad, 44 standing there looking all serious. Clip after clip will be spiced together of him saying "I screwed up", "we made a mistake", "oops, my bad', etc... For the past 8 years the public has said, "Why hasn't Bush ever apologized for his mistakes", well this would be the reason. It doesn't take much knowledge of negative campaign ads to figure this our; never admit your wrong, you'll get hammered for it in the press.

If 44 had been smart he would have thrown Daschle under the bus as soon as this tax issue arose and made a grand statement about how this is what he would not tolerate in his administration but obviously that would mean getting rid of a few others as well.

I guess the main point is 'don't make dumb proclamations about your administration being so much better than the last, just do it', otherwise you put a target on your back when you come up short. It's like you didn't even watch the first year Clinton tapes!

Neophyte meter:7 of 10

* ...thought bubble..."Damn she got a nice can, now I'm not going to get a chance to tap that, Hill better watch out now"