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Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.
For nearly eight long years, this country suffered with a president, George W. Bush, who never admitted to making a mistake. His steadfast refusal to fess up to errors, including colossal failures of judgment in the handling of Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, led many Americans to distrust his administration.
It wasn’t until the closing weeks of his presidency, when Bush hit the media circuit in an effort to influence his legacy, that he at least hinted at misgivings over some of his actions in the Oval Office.
We are barely two weeks into President Barack Obama’s administration, but the new occupant of the White House has shown that he is willing to publicly admit when he is wrong.
Obama’s admission Tuesday came after he accepted the withdrawn nominations of Tom Daschle as health and human services secretary and Nancy Killefer as the federal government’s chief performance officer due to their failure to pay taxes in a timely fashion. Those problems — coupled with revelations of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s tax troubles — gave critics an opening to question the president’s high ethical standards, something he quickly realized.
Saying that he “screwed up” and would take responsibility for these mistakes, Obama said in a televised interview on NBC: “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.”
Americans are a forgiving people, particularly when their leaders own up to their mistakes. With these distractions behind him, we believe Obama will be able to move forward with the important work that lies ahead.
Bush said many times in the past that he has made mistakes.
The Sun is too busy getting refills on its koolaid to do simple fact checking.
Again the Sun is displaying their complete ignorance of the facts which happens often.
Let's see now, this is the man that promised the most transparent and ethical administration. So far he has appointed a tax dodger to guard the nations money, a couple of lobbyists that he said would never be in an administration and apologized via mia culpa. What a phony already he has lost most thinking people in this country but alas there are a lot of lemmings following him to the sea. Ethics????? What stinking ethics we don't need no stinking ethics!!!!!!
O-bama's "I sorry" was really patheic too.
Exactly what is he sorry for. He was very vague.
It is like when a man say's "I sorry" when he gets caught cheating on his wife. Sorry for what? Getting caught?
So what is O-bama being sorry for? Incompetence?
Lack of ethics? Corruption? Media doing their job?
Obama's appology came a little late. The day before he said "I stand by this man". He only threw in the towel after the New York Times went after him.
You know you're in trouble when the NYT goes after a lib.
Instead if supporting him, when this first broke Obama should have thrown him and the others in front of the bus.
So, Geitner's OK but Daschle is out. Selective transparency. Change only he can believe in.
"phony. selective transparency. Pathetic.
incompetent. corruption."
You folks need to seriously getalife. getaclue.
getahobby. You just can't WAIT for some little tidbit of a story to come out so you can POUNCE and write some more of your drivel. HE SPOKE! ATTACK! SAY SOMETHING NEGATIVE, QUICK! HUSSEIN! KOOL-AID! LIBS! BAD! DUMB! LIES! LEFTIES!
But it IS good that you are perfect and such great judges of character. Thank you for keeping the rest of us mere mortals informed in such a non-partisan, constructive way.
Wow.
Why is the LV Sun still Bush-bashing?
Lets be clear this was more about Tom Daschle's unregistered lobbying for $5 million over the last couple of years - not the taxes which were bad.
The lobbyist was issue is a crediblity point with Obama.
gmag39, does it really hurt that much to find out that the emporer has no clothes?