Obama takes the blame

    Tuesday was a rough day for President Barack Obama and his new administration.
    Not only did Tom Daschle withdraw his nomination as secretary of health and human services due to several days of scrutiny over unpaid taxes, but Nancy Killefer, Obama's  nominee for deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget and chief White House performance officer, also took her name out of contention because of unpaid payroll taxes for a household employee.
    The new president finished the day by apologizing for the Daschle debacle. "I've got to own up to my mistake, which is that ultimately it's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules," Obama told NBC.
    This was not the first time Obama's administration has battled tax issues in its appointees: It was found that Obama's Treasury secretary pick, Timothy Geithner, had $34,000 worth of overdue income taxes.
    And the Republicans have been quick to intensify their criticisms of administration-related tax failings. At a time when the nation's attention is focused on the new economic stimulus package, the minority party can now draw attention to the perception that Democrats do not abide by normal tax laws.
    While these instances have certainly called into questions the vetting process of government appointees — past, present and future — one thing is certain: Obama handled the Daschle debacle in the exact manner a U.S. president should. He said he
was sorry.
    Of course, apologizing for mistakes will not solve many issues, if any. It won't fix potential future problems in the stimulus package. It won't solve our nation's health care and social security dilemmas. And it surely won't fix our problems in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    But the act of apologizing signified more than just an admittance of what some might call misjudgments on behalf of the new president. Rather, it underscored a new line of thinking in the White House, where accountability is paramount and executive responsibility is more than just a phrase. Obama spoke about these virtues on the campaign trail, and his apology on Tuesday gave him credibility as a leader who does more than present eloquent ideas — he is one who will make good on his promises.
    During his eight years in office, former President George W. Bush barely admitted to a single mistake. It took Obama 14 days.
    "I'm here on television saying I screwed up," Obama told NBC. "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 don't repeat them, and that's what we intend to do."
    Here's to not repeating these kinds of mistakes.
    But more importantly, here's to accountability and responsibility — words that were rarely, if ever, uttered in the previous eight years.