Huckleberries Online

Fisher: Obama Admits Error? Cool

Posted by DFO

Feb. 5, 2009 12:23 p.m. • 21 comments

National news anchors and reporters said President Obama had a bad day Tuesday, when his nomination of Republican New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg as commerce secretary was overshadowed by the collapse of two troubled nominations. But how many Americans agree that hearing a president admit error makes for a bad day? After eight years of an administration marked by serial bungling but led by a man who studiously avoided conceding mistakes, there is something mighty refreshing in hearing the president of the United States take credit for anything having gone wrong. And Obama did it not once, but repeatedly, in televised interviews with five network anchors/Jim Fisher, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Is it refreshing or troubling that President Obama admitted that he’d goofed in nominating several individuals who had tax problems?

21 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Charlie on February 05 at 12:32 p.m.
In one way it is nice, but the mistake he admitted to should never have happened. Earlier today I say that another appointee may have tax problems, the labor secretary.
hmoffsuite on February 05 at 12:36 p.m.
With Obama making this admission, he simply confirms what I said on this blog weeks ago. He was trying to move to fast and was likely to make errors by doing so.
Sisyphus on February 05 at 1:00 p.m.
Here’s a video demonstrating how refreshing change is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2tUT8lMv9k
toadman on February 05 at 1:08 p.m.
It’s refreshing…like a nice warm waterfall of reality and flowers. It also makes all the “we told you so” b.s from some, a little more empty.

Still, I actually think Obama’s going a little soft on the CEO bastards. I say, don’t cap their salaries. Tell them if they want bail out money, their executive boards have to find a new CEO. Yeah, that’s right, kick them out on their asses, don’t just cap their salaries..

But then…what Obama’s doing is probably nicer…
toadman on February 05 at 1:12 p.m.
Sisy - nice.. very nice. Goes well with lunch-time curry and web reading. Thanks.
Joker on February 05 at 1:26 p.m.
It’s very different from the Bush administration. They wouldn’t admit an error — ever. Still don’t. Obama needs to do a better job vetting these folks and the Dems need to stop using Turbo Tax.
Transplanted_Texan on February 05 at 1:31 p.m.
I don’t if I agree that this “error” was particularly bad, but it is great to have a President who admits it when he feels he goofed. Like JFK after the Bay of Pigs.
Sisyphus on February 05 at 1:33 p.m.
Yesterday Kos suggested appointing everyone inside the beltway to Obama’s administration to pay for the stimulus package and balance the budget.
Cabbage Boy on February 05 at 1:49 p.m.
Sis, it is refreshing, but why did the video seem to skip and kept repeating, “I’m sorry, I screwed up.”?

Could seem to get it outta that loop…
hmoffsuite on February 05 at 2:52 p.m.
It is refreshing, yes. But it won’t be if he has to do it several more times. :~)
Arch_Druid on February 06 at 10:23 a.m.
What’s refreshing is that Fisher finally got it. What’s troubling is that the news media in general still hasn’t. Obama being honest in his mistakes and admitting to them? Very refreshing.

Now for Hmoffsuite, given the catastrophic mess in this nation, if Obama moved more slowly, he’d only be faulted for doing so. And the Labor Secretary designate isn’t actually the one with the tax problems but her husband seems to have tax problems. So? Isn’t he the one who needs to deal with that? Last I saw HE wasn’t the one being appointed to that position.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.