Tom Daschle withdraws.
I’ve tended to see President Obama’s reliance on old hands as an attempt to leapfrog over his lack of experience. Understandable. But he went too far in choosing a hack like Daschle, and now it’s time for some new blood, as opposed to blood on the floor.
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Esther
This is amazing. Either Obama’s vetting team is incredibly incompetent or potential nominees are just flat-out lying. Or there is something so difficult about paying your taxes that someone my modest bracket can’t contemplate it.
lkcape
Leaping frogs is becoming a habit for President Obama and his “brilliant” staff. It seems as though they are jumping from one very deep and murky pool to the next.The double hit today makes the recent approval of our esteemed Treasury Secretary by the politicos and media seem like a very sad joke on the public trust.
NewsHound
The handwriting was on the wall yesterday when Obama said he was continuing with his support for Daschle. With the exception of Clarence Thomas who remained deaf to such a plea, when a nominee becomes disclosed as a jerk and the President publicly declares his continued support, it means to quit.
Dan Kennedy
I am picturing Rahm Emanuel screaming at Daschle, “Do you not understand the meaning of what the president just said?”
NewsHound
President Obama is setting a record as a tax collector. If he keeps this up, by March he will have earned his pay just from collecting nominees’ prior tax evasions.
NewsHound
Dan – I can see the cartoon of your description of Emanuel screaming at Daschle. Funny.
Tunder
Before we get too carried away here, are we forgetting some of the egregious conflicts-of-interest that permeated the Bush White House? At least these people have the decency to withdraw their names.I disagree that these withdrawals somehow show poor judgment on Obama’s part. Unless the appointees are upfront with him about ANY possible problems, there is not much he can do. He is basing his choices on people who he feels can best follow through with his political agenda.No doubt, many Republicans who have spent time on the Hill and/or lobbying would falter under the same scrutiny.
lkcape
Tunder’s comment smacks of the “it’s all George Bush’s fault” mantra that we have heard on all sorts of wild and wacky occurrencesUnfortunately for him, Obama and his team own this story…At this rate, Team O may well set a new leapfrog record before their first month is over.
NewsHound
It is not Obama’s fault in the least that so many of his nominees are corrupt little sleazes. And this has nothing to do with Republican or Democrat, now or historically. Spiro Agnew is not completely forgotten, nor the recent thievery of the deposed liar, former Senator Stevens of Alaska. Nor do we need to overlook Sherman Adams’ fur overcoat, or the American Cocker Spaniel Checkers, or how Hillary stole furnishings from the White House. I suppose we could feel badly for Dick Cheney injuring his back trying to lug off a carton full of loot. We shouldn’t put up with corruption from anybody who is in high government no matter which party.I think all of us would like to see the White House honest and sincere, once and for all, and even if not realistic, at least for a while.
lkcape
We’d all like to see it. But are we?
NewsHound
The President accepted “with sadness and regret” as Daschle is informally inducted into the Gary Hart Hall of Fame.
Tunder
My post yesterday regarding Daschle:”Not surprisingly, arrogance is not party specific.”I am glad that Daschle withdrew his name and I don’t place any blame on George Bush or the Republicans. I’m not sure where you came up with that conclusion. My opinion (that’s what these blogs are all about) is that Obama has a long way to go to ever reach the heights of greed/arrogance/sleaze that we witnessed the past 8 years.
Tony
“But he went too far in choosing a hack like Daschle, and now it’s time for some new blood, as opposed to blood on the floor.”That’s a total understatement …
NewsHound
Tunder – who would you rather have as your church treasurer, Bush, Daschle or Geithner.
Ani
So, whom do we want to see nominated now?
O-FISH-L
You can take the kid out of Chicago politics, but you can’t take the Chicago politics out of the kid. What’s this, week three? Fasten your seatbelts, folks.Apparently the cabinet missed Joe Biden’s memo to the rest of us on paying taxes, “It’s time to be patriotic … time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut.” Ha!
lkcape
…..Obama has a long way to go to ever reach the heights of greed/arrogance/sleaze that we witnessed the past 8 years.You’re right. His minions will do it for him. (grin)As for who’s next? Bill Clinton doesn’t have a job right now.
O-FISH-L
I am picturing Rahm Emanuel, with his trademark vulgarity, backslapping Daschle and saying, “Who gives a f*ck about your delinquent taxes, we have 59 Senators and we’ll get rid of Judd Gregg to make it 60.” Unfortunately for them, Gregg made a deal to keep his seat Republican, not to mention the public outrage brewing over the appointments of these tax cheats.
Tunder
“Tunder – who would you rather have as your church treasurer, Bush, Daschle or Geithner?”Sophie’s Choice…Bush’s incompetence knows no bounds.
Don, American
Give credit where due. There’s one Democrat who can do what is right. There’s only one question. Where will he pop up again?
mike_b1
The Cheney Administration has the blood of 4000 US soldiers and countless innocent Iraqis on their hands. Whatever Daschle did is meaningless compared to that.Or did the Cheney apologists forget — for once — there is a war on?
Dunwich
They also –ok, it was L.Paul Bremer– managed to lose Nine Billion in cash bricks. Talk about mistakes.
Dan Kennedy
Never mind war, torture, and spying. What high Democratic officeholder do you think could survive shooting a hunting buddy in the face and then disappearing until he’d had time to sober up?
NewsHound
If Dick Cheney had been a Democrat when he was drunk from one very large beer and shot his “best friend” in the face, he still would have been the same Dick and still would have gotten away with it. This has more to do with being Dick Cheney than being Republican or Democrat.