President Obama admitted he made a “mistake” in his handling of Tom Daschle’s Cabinet nomination, telling FOX News on Tuesday that he takes full responsibility for a process that ended in Daschle withdrawing his name amid tax problems.
The president also said in the interview with FOX News that he’s standing firm on a Feb. 16 deadline for the multi-billion dollar stimulus bill being debated on Capitol Hill, despite growing concerns that package contains too much unnecessary spending.
Daschle’s withdrawal, along with wrangling over the stimulus, made for possibly the rockiest day of Obama’s presidency so far. The president said he will learn from the Daschle debacle.
“I consider this a mistake on my part, one that I intend to fix and correct and make sure that we’re not screwing up again,” Obama said. “Ultimately I have to take responsibility for a process that resulted in us not having a (health and human services) secretary at a time when people need relief on their health care costs.
“So this is a mistake — probably not the first one I’m going to be making in this office, but what I’m absolutely committed to doing is fixing it,” he said.
Obama, who had tapped Daschle to steer a sweeping health care reform effort, said the next order of business is to find another “highly qualified” health and human services secretary.
Obama denied influencing Daschle’s decision to withdraw, which caught a number of senators by surprise Tuesday. Though Daschle caught flak for revelations that he had failed to pay more than $130,000 in taxes, the former Senate majority leader has strong personal ties on Capitol Hill, and several Democrats said they thought he still could have won confirmation.
Obama said the decision was Daschle’s.
“We can’t send a message to the American people that we’ve got two sets of rules — one for prominent people and one for ordinary people,” Obama said, defending his administration’s standards.
Meanwhile, Obama said he’s standing by a Feb. 16 deadline for the economic stimulus package, dismissing much of the criticism in the media and elsewhere about the size of the bill and its contents.
“I think actually that we are closer to getting it right than all these critics,” Obama said. “There is no magic bullet to these situations.”
He stressed that the package, which is tagged at close to $900 billion on the Senate side, boosts unemployment insurance, provides support for people who lost health care and makes investments in green technology and infrastructure that will jolt the economy.
He said the so-called “pet projects” at issue amount to “less than one percent of the entire package.
“This is not going to be a package that makes everybody happy, but the main criteria I have — is it going to put people back to work? And I think it actually will,” he said. “We can’t afford to wait.”
But the bill’s fate was unclear as both Democratic and Republican lawmakers voiced concerns about the way the money would be spent.
Republicans have been honing their opposition to the stimulus, calling on Democrats to make major changes.
Though Obama has reached out to Republican governors who support the plan like Vermont’s Jim Douglas to help make his case, the Republican Governors Association on Tuesday sent around a memo urging members to speak out against wasteful elements of the package.
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor’s press secretary also sent a strategy memo to other press officers pointing out inconsistencies in the bill. It highlighted a Gallup poll Tuesday that found most Americans either reject the stimulus bill or want “major changes” to it.
The poll “makes clear that Americans understand that the stimulus plan, in its current form, must be dramatically altered,” the memo said.
(Source: Fox News)
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13 Responses
A president admitting a mistake. That hasn’t happened for a long time. Certainly not in the Bush or Clinton administrations. If we’ve gone from imperial presidents to ones who realize they are human, that’s an improvement. Imagine, a president who is a “Baal gaiva” (now if he’s also clever and competent as well, that would be a nes).
while obama may be likeable and well-spoken, he is in way over his head…and the country is starting to realize its big mistake.
this was a truly a historic election – the most ill-prepared person ever to be elected president.
…and today the President is set to do it again.
This “mistake” occurred because the President and his staffers only looked at part of the picture. Today Mr. Obama is about to announce caps on executive compensation for those companies accepting bailout funds. How about companies who are recepients of bailout funds who are taking American jobs and offshoring them to India? Isn’t the objective of the stimulus package/bailouts to create jobs for Americans in America? Why is their silence on this issue?
“He said the so-called “pet projects” at issue amount to “less than one percent of the entire package.”
Unbelievable. And that’s what, chump change?
Anyone want to do the math as to what “less than one percent” of NINE HUNDRED BILLION dollars is ?
“We can’t send a message to the American people that we’ve got two sets of rules — one for prominent people and one for ordinary people,” Obama said, defending his administration’s standards.
HOW ABOUT TREASURY SECRETARY GEITHNER, WHO ALSO CHEATED ON HIS TAXES, BUT WAS APPOINTED?
He said the so-called “pet projects” at issue amount to “less than one percent of the entire package.
WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT? MOST OF THE MONEY IS GOING FOR PAYOFFS TO DEMOCRAT CONSTITUENCIES!
THE “EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES!”
Modeh Al HaEmes – To admit mistakes, especially when the whole world is listening(!), is quite commendable. I’m starting to like this guy.
At the same time, it makes me wonder whether the media only highlights his good qualities because they like him. Is it possible that Mr. Bush exhibited similar qualities and it was distorted by the media’s selective reporting?
So you mean “The Great One” actually makes mistakes? And here I thought he could perform miracles!
And to you #1, President Bush had no trouble admitting mistakes. He admitted many times that things could have been done better, or differently. The difference is that he had the moral turpitude to stand up for what he believed in, and even when the going got tough, he stuck to his guns.
#7, please check a dictionary. The word “turpitude” doesn’t mean what you think it does. Perhaps you are thinking of “rectitude”?
Thank you #8. I stand corrected. I had a totally wrong understanding of the definition of the word.
(I, too, make mistakes :))
#2, I respectfully agree and disagree. Obama has the best mind to handle doing an honest job cleaning up this mess, but yes, ANYONE would be in over their head. I dont think anyone would be above it or this would not have happened to the world during the last administration. When the financial capital of the world (NY) lost its footing, the slip affected the entire world.
brilliant pr move on obama’s part. everyone is so in awe of his amazing humility & admittance of a mistake that the focus goes off of the blunder…
it’s also part of his “i’m just like the next guy” image projection.
really?? you’re human?? how shocking.
why is everyone so extremely impressed?
1,6, & 11, admitting his “mistake” is nothing more than a phony tactic. If it were real, Geitner wouldn’t be Treasury Secretary, nor would he have gone back on his promise not to bring “lobbyist” into his administration…he’s got dozens of them, and let’s not forget Hillary, with all of Bill’s contributors.
If you can lie with sincerity, you can get away with almost anything. Obama is great at!
Based on this mistake I would suggest we all decide not to pay our taxes and see if we could get away with it like they did. If its good for the goose, its gotta be good for the gander!